That phrase was Frank Churchill's bane. He would return from the Statesman Office, where, after the regular daily consultation17, he had remained and written his leader (Harding always hitherto had managed to free his friend from night-work), and would find his wife with red-rimmed eyelids18 and the final traces of a past shower. At first he was frightened at these manifestations19, would tenderly caress20 her, and ask her what had happened, Nothing! always nothing! no cross, no domestic anxiety, no special trouble. But then something must have happened. Frank's logical spirit, long trained, refused to accept an effect without a cause; and at length, after repeated questioning, he would learn from Barbara that she was "a little low" that day. A little low! What on earth had she had to be a little low about? And then Frank would imagine that there were more things in women than were dreamt of in his philosophy; and would pet her and coax21 her during dinner, and restore her somewhat to herself, until he took up his review or his heavy reading, when the "little low" fit would come on again; and after half an hour's contemplation of the coals Barbara would burst into sobs22 and retire to bed. And then Frank, laying down his book and pondering over his final pipe, would first begin to think that he was badly treated; to review his conduct, and see whether any act of his during the day could have caused the "little lowness;" to imagine that Barbara was making mountains of molehills, and was losing that spirit which had been one great attraction to him; then gradually he would soften23, would take into consideration the changes in the circumstances of her life; would begin to accuse himself of neglecting her, and preferring his reading at a time when she had a fair claim on his attention; and would finally rush off to implore24 her forgiveness, and pet her more than ever.
An infatuated fellow, this Frank Churchill; so happy in the possession of his wife, in the knowledge that she was his own, all his own, that nothing, not even the fact that she was occasionally a "little low," had power to damp his happiness for more than a very few minutes. He would sit at dinner of an evening, when she was engaged with her work, and he had a book in front of him, in company, when he could steal a minute from the general conversation, looking at her in rapt admiration25; not one point of her beauty was lost upon him; the shape of her head; its pose on her neck; her delicate hands with that pink shell-like palm; those long tapering26 fingers and filbert nails; her rounded bust27 and slim waist,--all her special excellences28 impressed him more now than they had when he had first seen her; but, above all, he revelled29 in her "bred" appearance, in that indefinable something which seemed to lift her completely out of the set of people with which he saw her surrounded, and to show her by right the denizen31 of another sphere. If you could have persuaded Frank Churchill that another man held such opinions as these; that another man had such feelings with regard to his wife; and that through holding them he was induced to regard somewhat intolerantly those among whom he had hitherto moved, and from whom he had received the greatest kindness and friendship,--what words would have been scathing32 enough to have expressed Frank Churchill's disgust!
Yet such was undoubtedly33 the case. Churchill's most intimate friend was George Harding,--a man whom he reverenced34 and looked up to, but whom he, since his marriage, had often found himself pitying from the bottom of his soul. Not on his own account: loyal to his craft and steadfast36 in his friendship, Churchill thought there were few more desirable positions than the editorship of the Statesman, when as free from influence or partisanship37 as when Harding held the berth38. It was because his friend was Mrs. Harding's husband that Churchill pitied him; though, indeed, Mrs. Harding was a very fair average kind of woman. A dowdy39 little person, Mrs. Harding! the daughter of a snuffy Welsh rector, who had written a treatise40 on "Aorists," and with whom Harding had read one long vacation,--a round-faced old-maidish little woman, classically brought up, who could construe41 Cicero fluently, and looked upon Horace (Q. Flaccus, I mean) as rather a loose personage. In the solitude42 of Plas-y-dwdllem, George Harding was thrown into the society of this young female. He did not fall in love with her--they were neither of them capable of any thing violent of that nature; but--I am reduced to the phraseology of the servants' hall to express my meaning--they "kept company together;" and when George took his degree and started in life as leader-writer for the Morning Cracker43 (long since defunct), he thought the best thing he could do for his comfort was to go for a run to Wales and bring back Sophia Evans as his wife. This he did; and they had lived thoroughly44 happily ever since. Mrs. Harding believed intensely in the Statesman; read it every day, from the title to the printer's name; knew the name of every contributor, and could tell who had done what at a glance. Her great pride in going out was to take one of the cards sent to the office, and observe the effect it made upon the receiving attendant at operas, flower-shows, or conversazioni. She always took care that the tickets for these last were sent to her; and her head-dress of black-velvet bows with pearl-beads hanging down behind was well to the fore45 whenever a mummy was unrolled, the fossil jawbone of an antediluvian46 animal was descanted on, or some sallow missionary47 presented himself at Burlington House, to be congratulated by hundreds of dreary48 people on having escaped uneaten from some place to which he never ought to have gone. She herself was fond of having occasionally what she called "a social evening." This recreation was held on a Saturday, when there was no work at the Statesman office, when the principal members of the staff would be bidden, and when the condiments49 provided would be brown-bread and butter rolled into cornets, tea and coffee and lemonade, while the recreation consisted in conversation (amongst men who had met for every night during the past twelve months), and in examining photographs of the city of Prague. The ribald young men at the office spoke50 of Mrs. Harding as "Plutarch," a name given to her one night when Mr. Slater, the dramatic critic, asked her what novel she was then reading, and she replied, "Novel, sir! Plutarch's Lives!" But they all liked her, notwithstanding; and for her sake and their dear old chief's did penitential duty at the occasional "social evenings" in Decorum Street.
Of course this little body had nothing in common with Mrs. Frank Churchill, and neither understood the other. George Harding had been so anxious that his wife should pay all honour to his friend's bride, that Mrs. Harding's was the first visit Barbara received. They did not study the laws of etiquette51 in Mesopotamia, or Mrs. Harding thought she would break the ice of ceremony with a friendly call; so the arrived one morning at 11 A.M. dressed for the occasion, and having sent up her card, awaited Barbara's advent52 in the drawing-room. No sooner had the servant shut the door and Mrs. Harding found herself alone than she minutely examined the furniture, saw where new things had replaced others with which she had been acquainted, mentally appraised53 the new carpet, and took stock generally. The result was not satisfactory; an anti-macassar which Barbara had been braiding lay on the table, with the needle still in it. Mrs. Harding took it up between her finger and thumb, gazed at it contemptuously, and pronounced it "fal-lal;" she peeped into the leaves of a book lying open on the sofa, and shut them up with a sigh of "Novels! ah!" she turned over the music lying on the little cottage-piano which Frank had hired for his wife, and again shrugged54 her shoulders with an exclamation55 of distaste. Then she sat herself down on a low chair with her back to the light (an old campaigner, Mrs. Harding, and seldom to be taken at a disadvantage), pulled out and smoothed her dress all round her, settled her ribbons, made a further incursion into the territories of a refractory56 thumb in her cowskin puce-coloured glove, which had hitherto refused submission57 to the invader58, and awaited the coming of her hostess.
She had not long to wait. Frank had gone out on business; but he had so often spoken of Harding as his dear friend, that Barbara, though by no means gushing59 by nature,--indeed, if truth must be told, somewhat proud and reserved,--had made up her mind to be specially60 friendly to Mrs. Harding; so she came sailing into the room with outstretched hand and a smile on her face. Mrs. Harding gave one glance at the full flowing figure, the rustling61 skirts, and the outstretched hand; she acknowledged the superior presence, and then suddenly maxims62 learned in her youth in the still seclusion63 of Plas-y-dwdllem rose in her mind,--maxims which inculcated a severe and uncompromising deportment as the very acme64 of good breeding. So, instead of coming forward to meet Barbara and responding to her apparent warmth, the little woman stood up for a quarter of a minute, crossed her hands before her, bowed, and sank into her seat again. For an instant Barbara stopped, and flushed to the roots her hair; then, quickly perceiving it was merely ignorance which had caused this strange proceeding65 on Mrs. Harding's part, she advanced and seated herself near her visitor.
"You are a stranger in this neighbourhood?" commenced Mrs. Harding.
Barbara, feeling that the admission would be what policemen call "used against her," answered in the affirmative.
"It's very healthy," said Mrs. Harding.
"Do you like it?" asked Mrs. Harding.
"I can scarcely say. I have had so little opportunity of judging. It is very convenient for where my husband has to go, and all that; but it is a long way from that part of London which I know."
Two or three things in this innocently-intended speech jarred dreadfully on Mrs. Harding's feelings. That worthy68 matron had all the blood of Ap-somebody, a tremendously consonanted personage of Plas-y-dwdllem in old times, and she was irritable69 in the highest degree. But she made a great gulp70 at her rage, and only said, "Oh, you mean the Statesman office; yes, of course I ought to know where that is, considering Mr. Harding's position there! We think this a very nice situation; but, of course, when you've been brought up in Grosvenor Square, it's different! What does Vokins charge you?"
"I--I beg your pardon!" said Barbara. "Vokins?"
"Yes; Vokins the butcher!" repeated the energetic little woman. "Sevenpence or sevenpence-halfpenny for legs? Your mother-in-law was the only woman in the neighbourhood who got 'em for sevenpence, and I'm most anxious to know whether he hasn't raised it since you came here."
"I'm sorry I'm unable to answer you," said Barbara; "but hitherto my husband has paid the tradesmen's bills. I've no doubt" she added, with a half-sneer, "that it shows great shortcomings on my part; but it is the fact. I have hopes that I shall improve as I go on."
"Oh, no doubt," said Mrs. Harding, faintly. "Live and learn, you know." But she gave up Barbara Churchill from that time out. She, who had known the price of every article of domestic consumption since she was fourteen years old, and had fought innumerable hand-to-hand combats with extortionate tradesmen, looked upon this insouciance71 of Barbara's as any thing but a venial72 crime. A few other topics were started, feebly entered into, and dropped; and then Mrs. Harding took her leave, with faintly-expressed hopes of seeing her new-made acquaintance soon again.
That afternoon George Harding, returning home to dinner, was told by his wife that she had called on Mrs. Churchill.
"Ay!" said the honest old boy; "and what did you make of her, Sophy? I'd trust your judgment73 in a thousand; and Frank has a high opinion of it, I know. Is she pretty, and clever, and managing, and all the rest of it?"
"Well, as to prettiness, George, she's not one of my style of beauties," said Mrs. Harding. "She's a tall slip of a woman, with straight features, such as you see on the old coins; and she's very stand-offish in her manners; and, as to managing--well, she's too fine a lady to know her tradespeople's names, or what she pays them."
George Harding whistled softly, and then plunged74 into his hashed mutton. He made but one remark, but that he repeated twice. "I told him to beware of swells75. God knows I warned him. I told him to beware of swells."
That same night Mrs. Churchill told her husband of the visit she had had.
"I'm so glad!" said Frank. "I knew old George would send his wife first. Well, what do you think of Mrs. Harding, Barbara?"
"Oh, I've no doubt she meant every thing kindly76, Frank," said Barbara, "She's--she's a right-meaning kind of woman, Frank, no doubt; but she's--she's not my style, you know."
"Oh, perfectly! But she asked me all sorts of curious questions about the tradespeople, and the housekeeping, and that. So strange, you know."
"I confess I don't see any thing strange so far. She offered you the benefit of her experience, did she? Well, that was kind; and what was wanted, I think."
"Oh, I'm sorry you think it was wanted," said Barbara. "I didn't think any thing had gone wrong in the house."
"No, my darling, of course not," said Frank "nothing--all is quite right. But, you know, housekeeping is Mrs. Harding's strong point; and young beginners like ourselves might learn from her with advantage. I think we must lay ourselves out for instruction in several matters, Barbara darling, from such persons as Mrs. Harding and my mother."
And Barbara said, "Oh, yes, of course." And Frank did not notice that her little shoulders went up, and the corners of her little mouth went down, and her eyes sparkled in a manner which did not promise much docility78 on the part of one of the pupils thus to be instructed.
It took but a very short time for Barbara to discover that she and her mother-in-law were not likely to be the very best friends. On their first meeting the old lady was very much overcome, and welcomed her new daughter-in-law in all fulness of heart. And perhaps--though Barbara never knew it--it was at this first meeting that a feeling of disappointment was engendered79 in Mrs. Churchill's heart. For long brooding over the forthcoming events of that day, ere the new-married couple had returned to town, Mrs. Churchill had settled in her own mind that there were to be no jealousies80 between her and the new importation into the small family circle as to the possession of Frank, and that to that end the right plan would be to receive Barbara as her daughter, and to make her part recipient81 of that affection which had hitherto only been lavished82 on Frank. This idea she forthwith carried into execution, kissing Barbara with great warmth, and addressing her as her dear child. Unimpulsive Barbara, though really pleased at her reception, accepted the caresses83 with becoming dignity, offered her cheek for the old lady's warm salute84, and addressed her mother-in-law in tones which, though by no means lacking in reverence35, certainly had no superfluity of love. The old lady noticed it, and ascribed it to timidity, or the natural shyness of a young girl in a strange position; she noticed specially that Barbara invariably spoke to and of her as "Mrs. Churchill;" and before they parted she said:
"My dear, you surely don't always intend to speak to me in that formal manner. I am your mother now, Barbara; won't you call me so?"
"No, dear Mrs. Churchill--no, if you please! I have never called any one by that name since I lost my own mother, and--and I cannot do so, indeed."
Mrs. Churchill simply said, "Very well, my dear." But in what afterwards became a gaping85 wound, this may be looked upon as the first abrasion86 of the skin. That gave the old lady a notion that her daughter-in-law's tactics were to be purely87 defensive88, that there was to be no compromise, and that she, the old lady, was clearly to understand that her position was on the other side of the gabions and the fascines, the stone walls and the broad moat; that by no means was the key of the citadel89 to be considered as in her possession.
When relations of this kind in one family begin to be à tort et à travers, there is no end to the horrible complications arising out of them. Mrs. Churchill attempted to initiate90 Barbara into the mysteries of housekeeping, and the art of successfully combating nefarious91 tradesmen; but the success which attended the old lady's efforts may be guessed from Barbara's interview with Mrs. Harding. She tried to get Barbara to walk out with her; but Barbara had not been accustomed to walk in London streets, and was timid at crossings,--which made the old lady irate92; and was frightened at the way in which men stared, and on some occasions spoke out unreservedly their opinions of her beauty. She had liked the outspoken93 admiration of the crowd, as she sat well forward in the carriage on drawing-room days; but then she knew that she had Jeames with his long cane94 in reserve in case of need; though I doubt whether Jeames would have been more useful in case of actual attack than old Mrs. Churchill, who invariably resented these unsolicited compliments to her daughter-in-law with a snort of defiance95, and who usually carried a stout96 umbrella with a ferule at the end, which would have made a very awkward weapon, and which she would have wielded97 with right good will. Misunderstandings were constant: after the first few occasions of their meeting, Barbara did not ask Mrs. Churchill to the house for fear of appearing formal; whereupon the old lady, when Frank called at her lodgings98, asked what she had done to be exiled from her son's house. Pacified99 and settled as to this point, the old lady, to show her forgiveness, called in so frequently, that Barbara told her husband she knew her housekeeping was not perfection; but that she had not expected a system of espionnage, which was evidently kept on her by his mother. When Mrs. Churchill dined at their house, Barbara, for fear of appearing extravagant100, would have a very simple joint101 and pudding; whereupon the old lady would afterwards tell Mrs. Harding, or some other friend, that "Heaven alone knew where Frank's money went--not on their dinners, my dear, for they're positively102 mean."
Nor with her husband's friends did Barbara make a very favourable103 impression. They admired her, of course; to withhold104 that tribute was impossible; but they were so utterly105 different in manner and expression, had such different topics of conversation and such totally opposite opinions to any thing she had ever seen or heard, that she sat in silence before them; uttered vague and irrational106 replies to questions put to her while her thoughts were far away, smiled feebly at wrong times, and so conducted herself, that Mr. M'Malthus, a clever Scotchman, who was worming his way into literature, and was at that time getting a name for blunt offensive sayings (an easily earned capital, on which many a man has lived for years), was reported to have remarked that "a prettier woman or bigger fool than Mrs. Churchill was not often seen."
There were others who, while they allowed that she had plenty of common-sense (and indeed on occasion, in a cut-and-thrust argument, Barbara showed herself cunning of fence, and by no means deficient107 in repartee), would call her stuck-up and proud; and there were some, indeed, who repudiated108 the mere11 fact of her having lived in a different class of society to which they were not admitted, as in itself an insult and a shame. And even those who were disposed to soften all defects and to exaggerate all virtues--and they were by no means few in number--failed to what they call "get on" with the new Mrs. Churchill. They had no subjects of conversation in common; for even when literary subjects were introduced, they frightened Barbara by their iconoclastic109 tendencies; deliberately110 smashing up all those gods whom she had hitherto been accustomed to reverence, and erecting111 in their stead images inscribed112 with names unknown to her, or known but to be shuddered113 at as owned by Radicals114 or free-thinkers. They were men who outraged115 none of the social convénances of life; about whose manner or behaviour no direct complaint could be made; and often she thought herself somewhat exacting116 when she would repeat to herself, as she would--oh, how often!--that they were not gentlemen: not her style of gentlemen; that is to say, not the style of men to whom she had been accustomed. When, for instance, would a man have dared to address his conversation to any other man in preference to her, she being present? When could a man have permitted her to open a door, or place a chair for herself, in that set amongst which she had previously117 moved? Respect her! Her husband's friends would ignore her presence; saying in reply to a remark from her, "Look here, Churchill, you understand this;" or would prevent her interrupting them (a favourite practice of hers) by putting up their hands and saying, "Pardon-me while I state my case," continue their argument in the most dogged manner.
What most amazed Barbara was the calm manner in which all her sallies, however bitter or savage118, were received by her husband's intimates, and laughed away or glossed119 over by Frank himself. At first her notion was to put down these persons by a calm haughty120 superiority or a studied reticence121, which should in itself have the effect of showing her opinion of them: but neither demeanour had the smallest effect on those whom it was intended to reprove. The first time she ever perceived that any one was the least degree inclined to oppose her sway or dispute her authority, was one Saturday night, when Churchill's study was filled with several of his old friends, smoking and chatting. Barbara was there too, with her embroidery122. She could stand tobacco-smoke perfectly; it did not give her a headache, or even worse than that, redden her eyelids and make her wink123; and there was a small amount of "fastness" in it which pleased her. Moreover her presence prevented the gathering124 in the tabagie from quite sinking into a bachelor revel30, the which Barbara, as a young married woman, held in the deepest abomination. The conversation was in full swing about books, authors, and publishers.
"Chester's going to bring out a volume of poems," said Mr. Bloss, an amiable125 young man with fluffy126 hair, who always had a good word for every one. "Says he should have published them before, but he's so many irons in the fire."
"Better put his poems where his irons are," laughed Mr. Dunster, a merry little old gentleman with light-blue eyes, who could take the skin off your back and plant daggers127 in your heart, smiling all the time in the pleasantest manner. "Chester's next door to an idiot; lives close by you, by the way, Bloss, doesn't he?"
"He's dreadfully frightened of the critics," said another man sitting by. "You must notice him in the Statesman yourself, Churchill, eh?"
"Or I'll speak to Harding. Poor Chester! he mustn't be allowed to come to grief. What are his verses like? has any one seen them?"
"I have," said Mr. Bloss. "They're really--they're--well--they're not so very bad, you know."
"What a burst of candour!" said Mr. Dunster. "Bloss, you are a young reviewer, and I must caution you against such excessively strong statements."
"Chester's most afraid of the Scourge129," said the man who had spoken before; "he thinks it will flay130 him."
"He should mollify them by saying that his verses were written at 'an early age,'" laughed Churchill.
"That wouldn't do for the Scourge; they would say the verses were too bad even to have been written by a child in arms," said Mr. Dunster.
"How very nice! What an old dear you are, Dunster!" said a gentleman sitting in a corner of the fireplace exactly opposite Barbara, with his legs stretched out on a stool, and his body reclining on an easy-chair. This was Mr. Lacy, an artist, who, as it was, made a very good income, but who might have taken the highest rank had his perseverance131 been on a par8 with his talent; a sleepy, dreamy man, with an intense appreciation132 of and regard for himself.
"What do you think of all this, Mrs. Churchill?" asked Bloss; "they are any thing but compassionate133 in their remarks."
"They may be or not," said Barbara, wearily. "It is all Greek to me: while these gentlemen talk what I believe is called 'shop,' I am utterly unable to follow the conversation."
Frank looked uneasily across at his wife, but said nothing.
"What shall we talk about, Mrs. Churchill?" said Mr. Dunster, with an evil twinkle of his blue eyes. "Shall it be the last ball in the Belgravia, or the new jupe; how Mario sang in the Prophète, or whether bonnets134 will be worn on or off the head?"
Churchill frowned at this remark, but his brow cleared as Barbara said with curling lip:
"You need not go so far for illustrations of what you don't understand, Mr. Dunster. Let us discuss tolerance135, domestic enjoyments136, or the pleasure of being liked by any one,--all of which axe137, I am sure, equally strange to you."
Mr. Dunster winced138, and the fire faded out of his blue eyes: he did not understand being bearded. Frank Churchill, though astonished at seeing his wife defiant139, was by no means displeased140. Old Mr. Lacy, fearing a storm, which would have ruffled141 him sadly, struck in at once:
"It's a mistake, my dear Churchill; I'm convinced of it. We're not fit for these charming creatures, we artists and writers, believe me. We're a deucedly irritable, growling142, horrible set of ruffians, who ought to be left, like a lot of Robinson Crusoes, each on a separate island. I can fully67 enter into Mrs. Churchill's feelings; and I've no doubt that Mrs. Lacy feels exactly the same. But what do I do? I'm compelled to shut the door in Mrs. Lacy's face--to lock Mrs. Lacy out. She's a most excellent woman, as you know, Churchill; but she always wants to talk to me when I ought to be at work; now, on a sky-day, for instance! There are very few days in the year in this detestable climate, my dear Mrs. Churchill, which permit of one's seeing the sky sufficiently to paint it. When such a day does happen, I go to my studio and lock the door; but I've scarcely set my palette, before they come and rap, and want to talk to me--to ask me about the butcher, or to tell me about the nurse's sister, or something; and I'm obliged to whistle or sing to prevent my hearing 'em, or I should get interested about the nurse's sister, and open the door, and then my day's work would be spoilt."
"You're right, Lacy," said Dunster: "men who've got work to do should remain single. They'll never--"
"Come, you're polite to my wife," said Frank. "This is flat blasphemy143 against the state into which we've just entered."
"Oh, pray don't let the conversation, evidently so genial144, be stopped on my account. I'm tired, and am just going;" and with a sweeping145 bow Barbara sailed out of the room.
An hour afterwards, when Frank looked in from his dressing-room, he saw in the dim light Barbara's hair streaming over the pillow, and going to her found traces of tears on her cheeks. Tenderly and eagerly he asked her what had happened.
"Oh, Frank, Frank!" she exclaimed, bursting into fresh sobs; "I see it all now! What those horrid146 men said is too true! We were worse than mad to marry. Your friends will never understand me, while I shall interfere147 with your work and your pleasure; and, oh! I am so very, very miserable148 myself!"
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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hauteur
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| n.傲慢 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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artistically
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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cuffs
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alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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eyelids
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manifestations
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caress
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coax
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sobs
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soften
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implore
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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27
bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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excellences
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| n.卓越( excellence的名词复数 )；（只用于所修饰的名词后）杰出的；卓越的；出类拔萃的 | |
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29
revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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30
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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31
denizen
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| n.居民，外籍居民 | |
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32
scathing
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| adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词) | |
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33
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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34
reverenced
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| v.尊敬，崇敬( reverence的过去式和过去分词 )；敬礼 | |
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35
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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36
steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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37
Partisanship
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| n. 党派性, 党派偏见 | |
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38
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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39
dowdy
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| adj.不整洁的；过旧的 | |
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40
treatise
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| n.专著；(专题)论文 | |
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41
construe
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| v.翻译，解释 | |
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42
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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43
cracker
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| n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干 | |
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44
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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45
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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46
antediluvian
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| adj.史前的，陈旧的 | |
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47
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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48
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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49
condiments
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| n.调味品 | |
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50
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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51
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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52
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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53
appraised
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| v.估价( appraise的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；估量；评价 | |
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54
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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55
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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56
refractory
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| adj.倔强的，难驾驭的 | |
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57
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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58
invader
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| n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者 | |
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59
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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60
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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61
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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62
maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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63
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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64
acme
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| n.顶点，极点 | |
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65
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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66
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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68
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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69
irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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70
gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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71
insouciance
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| n.漠不关心 | |
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72
venial
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| adj.可宽恕的；轻微的 | |
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73
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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74
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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75
swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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76
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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77
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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78
docility
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| n.容易教，易驾驶，驯服 | |
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79
engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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81
recipient
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| a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器 | |
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82
lavished
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| v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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84
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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85
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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86
abrasion
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| n.磨（擦）破，表面磨损 | |
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87
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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88
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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89
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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90
initiate
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| vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入 | |
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91
nefarious
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| adj.恶毒的，极坏的 | |
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92
irate
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| adj.发怒的，生气 | |
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93
outspoken
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| adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的 | |
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94
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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95
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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97
wielded
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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98
lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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99
pacified
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| 使（某人）安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平 | |
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100
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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101
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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102
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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103
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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104
withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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105
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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106
irrational
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| adj.无理性的，失去理性的 | |
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107
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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108
repudiated
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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109
iconoclastic
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| adj.偶像破坏的，打破旧习的 | |
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110
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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111
erecting
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立 | |
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112
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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113
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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114
radicals
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| n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数 | |
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115
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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116
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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117
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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118
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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119
glossed
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| v.注解( gloss的过去式和过去分词 )；掩饰（错误）；粉饰；把…搪塞过去 | |
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120
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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121
reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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122
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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123
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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124
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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125
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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126
fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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127
daggers
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| 匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
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128
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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129
scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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130
flay
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| vt.剥皮；痛骂 | |
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131
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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132
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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133
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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134
bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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135
tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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136
enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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137
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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138
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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139
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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140
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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141
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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142
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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143
blasphemy
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| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
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144
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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145
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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146
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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147
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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148
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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