Chapter 4

 The Marquis Tudesco returned in due course, smiled at MademoiselleServien, who darted¹ poisonous looks at him, greeted the bookbinderwith a discreet² air of patronage³, and had a supply of grammarsand dictionaries bought.

At first he gave his lessons with exemplary regularity⁴. He hadtaken a liking⁵ to these repetitions of nouns and verbs, which helistened to with a dignified⁶, condescending⁷ air, slowly unrollinghis screw of snuff the while; he only interrupted to interjectlittle playful remarks with a geniality⁹ just touched with a traceof ferocity, that bespoke¹⁰ his real nature as an unctuous¹¹, cringingbully. He was jocular and pompous¹² at the same time, and alwaysmade a pretence¹³ of being a long time in seeing the glass of wineput on the table for his refreshment¹⁴.

The bookbinder, regarding him as a clever man of ill-regulatedlife, always treated him with great consideration, for faultsof behaviour almost cease to shock us except among neighbours,or at most fellow-countrymen. Without knowing it, Jean found afund of amusement in the witticisms¹⁵ and harangues¹⁶ of his oldteacher, who united in himself the contradictory¹⁷ attributes ofhigh-priest and buffoon¹⁸. He was great at telling a story, andthough his tales were beyond the child's intelligence, they didnot fail to leave behind a confused impression of recklessness,irony, and cynicism. Mademoiselle Servien alone never relaxed herattitude of uncompromising dislike and disdain¹⁹. She said nothingagainst him, but her face was a rigid²⁰ mask of disapproval²¹, hereyes two flames of fire, in answer to the courteous²² greetingthe tutor never failed to offer her with a special roll of hislittle grey eyes.

One day the Marquis Tudesco walked into the shop with a staggeringgait; his eyes glittered and his mouth hung half open in anticipationof racy talk and self-indulgence, while his great nose, his pinkcheeks, his fat, loose hands and his big belly²³, gallantly²⁴ carried,gave him, beneath his jacket and felt hat, a perfect likeness²⁵ toa little rustic²⁶ god his ancestors worshipped, the old Silenus.

Lessons that day were fitful and haphazard²⁷. Jean was repeatingin a drawling voice: _moneo, mones, monet ... monebam, monebas,monebat..._ Suddenly Monsieur Tudesco sprang forward, dragginghis chair along the floor with a horrid²⁸ screech²⁹, and clappinghis hand on his pupil's shoulder:

"Child," he said, "to-day I am going to give you a more profitablelesson than all the pitiful teaching I have confined myself toup to now.

"It is a lesson of transcendental philosophy. Hearken carefully,child. If one day you rise above your station and come to knowyourself and the world about you, you will discover this, thatmen act only out of regard for the opinion of their fellows--and_per Bacco!_ they are consummate³⁰ fools for their pains. Theydread other folks' blame and crave³¹ their approval.

"The idiots fail to see that the world does not care a strawfor them, and that their dearest friends will see them glorifiedor disgraced without missing one mouthful of their dinner. Thisis my lesson, _caro figliuolo_, that the world's opinion is notworth the sacrifice of a single one of our desires. If you getthis into your pate³², you will be a strong man and can boast youwere once the pupil of the Marquis Tudesco, of Venice, the exilewho has translated in a freezing garret, on scraps³³ of refusepaper, the immortal³⁴ poem of Torquato Tasso. What a task!"The child listened to the tipsy philosopher without understandingone word of his rigmarole; only Monsieur Tudesco struck him asa strange and alarming personage, and taller by a hundred feetthan anybody he had ever seen before.

The professor warmed to his subject:

"Ah!" he cried, springing from his seat, "and what profit didthe immortal and ill-starred Torquato Tasso win from all hisgenius? A few stolen kisses on the steps of a palace. And hedied of famine in a madhouse. I say it: the world's opinion,that empress of humankind, I will tear from her her crown andsceptre. Opinion tyrannizes over unhappy Italy, as over all theearth. Italy! what flaming sword will one day come to break herfetters, as now I break this chair?"In fact, he had seized his chair by the back and was poundingit fiercely on the floor.

But suddenly he stopped, gave a knowing smile, and said in a lowvoice:

"No, no, Marquis Tudesco, let be, let Venice be a prey³⁶ to Teutonsavagery. The fetters³⁵ of the fatherland are daily bread to theexiled patriot³⁷."His chin buried in his cravat³⁸, he stood chuckling³⁹ to himself,and his red waistcoat rose and fell in jerks.

Mademoiselle Servien, who sat by at the lesson knitting a stockingand for some moments had been watching the tutor, her spectaclespushed half-way up her forehead, with a look of amazement⁴⁰ andsuspicion, exclaimed, as if talking to herself:

"If it isn't abominable⁴¹ to come to people's houses in drink!"Monsieur Tudesco did not seem to hear her. His manner was quietand jocular again.

"Child," he ordered, "write down the theme for an essay. Writedown: 'The worst thing... yes, the worst thing of all,' writeit down... 'is an old woman with a spiteful temper.'"And rising with the gracious dignity of a Prince of the Church,he bowed low to the aunt, gave the nephew's cheek a friendlytap, and marched out of the room.

However, beginning with the very next lesson, he lavished⁴² everymark of respect on the old lady, and treated her to all his choicestairs and graces, rounding his elbows, pursing his lips, struttingand swaggering. She would not relax a muscle, and sat there assilent and sulky as an owl⁸.

But one day when she was hunting for her spectacles, as she wasalways doing, Monsieur Tudesco offered her his and persuaded herto try them; she found they suited her sight and felt a trifleless unamiable towards him. The Italian, pursuing his advantage,got into talk with her, and artfully turned the conversation uponthe vices⁴³ of the rich. The old lady approved his sentiments, andan exchange of petty confidences ensued. Tudesco knew a sovereignremedy for catarrh, and this too was well received. He redoubledhis attentions, and the _concierge_, who saw him smiling to himselfon the doorstep, told Aunt Servien: "The man's in love with you."Of course she declared: "At my time of life a woman doesn't wantlovers," but her vanity was tickled⁴⁴ all the same. Monsieur Tudescogot what he wanted--to have his glass filled to the brim everylesson. Out of politeness they would even leave him the pint⁴⁵ jugonly half empty, which he was indiscreet enough to drain dry.

One day he asked for a taste of cheese--"just enough to makea mouse's dinner," was his expression. "Mice are like me, theylove the dark and a quiet life and books; and like me they liveon crumbs⁴⁶."This pose of the wise man fallen on evil days made a bad impression,and the old lady became silent and sombre as before.

When springtime came Monsieur Tudesco vanished.

1 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

3 patronage   

n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场

参考例句：

• Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午，店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
• I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉，我的赞助只能到此为止。

4 regularity   

n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐

参考例句：

• The idea is to maintain the regularity of the heartbeat.问题就是要维持心跳的规律性。
• He exercised with a regularity that amazed us.他锻炼的规律程度令我们非常惊讶。

5 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

6 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

7 condescending   

adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的

参考例句：

• He has a condescending attitude towards women. 他对女性总是居高临下。
• He tends to adopt a condescending manner when talking to young women. 和年轻女子说话时，他喜欢摆出一副高高在上的姿态。

8 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

9 geniality   

n.和蔼，诚恳；愉快

参考例句：

• They said he is a pitiless,cold-blooded fellow,with no geniality in him.他们说他是个毫无怜悯心、一点也不和蔼的冷血动物。
• Not a shade was there of anything save geniality and kindness.他的眼神里只显出愉快与和气，看不出一丝邪意。

10 bespoke   

adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求

参考例句：

• His style of dressing bespoke great self-confidence. 他的衣着风格显得十分自信。
• The haberdasher presented a cap, saying,"Here is the cap your worship bespoke." 帽匠拿出一顶帽子来说：“这就是老爷您定做的那顶。” 来自辞典例句

11 unctuous   

adj.油腔滑调的，大胆的

参考例句：

• He speaks in unctuous tones.他说话油腔滑调。
• He made an unctuous assurance.他做了个虚请假意的承诺。

12 pompous   

adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities.他有点自大，自视甚高。
• He is a good man underneath his pompous appearance. 他的外表虽傲慢，其实是个好人。

13 pretence   

n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰

参考例句：

• The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
• He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。

14 refreshment   

n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点

参考例句：

• He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
• A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。

15 witticisms   

n.妙语，俏皮话( witticism的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We do appreciate our own witticisms. 我们非常欣赏自己的小聪明。 来自辞典例句
• The interpreter at this dinner even managed to translate jokes and witticisms without losing the point. 这次宴会的翻译甚至能设法把笑话和俏皮话不失其妙意地翻译出来。 来自辞典例句

16 harangues   

n.高谈阔论的长篇演讲( harangue的名词复数 )v.高谈阔论( harangue的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• "This so aggravated Hitler's pent-up feelings that he burst forth into one of his old harangues. 这下可激发了希特勒憋在心里的情绪，他居然故伎重演，破口大骂起来。 来自名作英译部分
• There is, however, a new self-confidence these days in China's familiar harangues anything it deems sovereign. 然而近来中国在针对认为涉及到其主权问题的说辞上表现出一种新的自信。 来自互联网

17 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

18 buffoon   

n.演出时的丑角

参考例句：

• They pictured their manager as a buffoon.他们把经理描绘成一个小丑。
• That politician acted like a buffoon during that debate.这个政客在那场辩论中真是丑态百出。

19 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

20 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

21 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

22 courteous   

adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的

参考例句：

• Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。
• He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

23 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

24 gallantly   

adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地

参考例句：

• He gallantly offered to carry her cases to the car. 他殷勤地要帮她把箱子拎到车子里去。
• The new fighters behave gallantly under fire. 新战士在炮火下表现得很勇敢。

25 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

26 rustic   

adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬

参考例句：

• It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
• We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。

27 haphazard   

adj.无计划的，随意的，杂乱无章的

参考例句：

• The town grew in a haphazard way.这城镇无计划地随意发展。
• He regrerted his haphazard remarks.他悔不该随口说出那些评论话。

28 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

29 screech   

n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音

参考例句：

• He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
• The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。

30 consummate   

adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle

参考例句：

• The restored jade burial suit fully reveals the consummate skill of the labouring people of ancient China.复原后的金缕玉衣充分显示出中国古代劳动人民的精湛工艺。
• The actor's acting is consummate and he is loved by the audience.这位演员技艺精湛，深受观众喜爱。

31 crave   

vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求

参考例句：

• Many young children crave attention.许多小孩子渴望得到关心。
• You may be craving for some fresh air.你可能很想呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。

32 pate   

n.头顶；光顶

参考例句：

• The few strands of white hair at the back of his gourd-like pate also quivered.他那长在半个葫芦样的头上的白发，也随着笑声一齐抖动着。
• He removed his hat to reveal a glowing bald pate.他脱下帽子，露出了发亮的光头。

33 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

34 immortal   

adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的

参考例句：

• The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
• The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！

35 fetters   

n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They were at last freed from the fetters of ignorance. 他们终于从愚昧无知的束缚中解脱出来。
• They will run wild freed from the fetters of control. 他们一旦摆脱了束缚，就会变得无法无天。 来自《简明英汉词典》

36 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

37 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

38 cravat   

n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结

参考例句：

• You're never fully dressed without a cravat.不打领结，就不算正装。
• Mr. Kenge adjusting his cravat,then looked at us.肯吉先生整了整领带，然后又望着我们。

39 chuckling   

轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时，我能听见他的轻声发笑。
• He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

40 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

41 abominable   

adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的

参考例句：

• Their cruel treatment of prisoners was abominable.他们虐待犯人的做法令人厌恶。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

42 lavished   

v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I lavished all the warmth of my pent-up passion. 我把憋在心里那一股热烈的情感尽量地倾吐出来。 来自辞典例句
• An enormous amount of attention has been lavished on these problems. 在这些问题上，我们已经花费了大量的注意力。 来自辞典例句

43 vices   

缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳

参考例句：

• In spite of his vices, he was loved by all. 尽管他有缺点，还是受到大家的爱戴。
• He vituperated from the pulpit the vices of the court. 他在教堂的讲坛上责骂宫廷的罪恶。

44 tickled   

（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐

参考例句：

• We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。
• I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。

45 pint   

n.品脱

参考例句：

• I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
• In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

46 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？