Chapter 15

 Jean hurried down the lane and started off across country insuch a state of high exaltation as robbed him of all senses ofrealities and banished¹ all consciousness whether of joy or pain.

He had no remembrance of what he had been before the moment whenhe kissed the actress's hand; he seemed a stranger to himself.

On his lips lingered a taste that stirred voluptuous² fancies,and grew stronger as he pressed them one against the other.

Next morning his intoxication³ was dissipated and he relapsedinto profound depression. He told himself that his last chancewas gone. He realized that the gate overhung with wild vine andivy was shut against him by that careless, capricious hand morefirmly and more inexorably than ever it could have been by thebolts and bars of the most prudish⁴ virtue⁵. He felt instinctivelythat his kiss had stirred no promptings of desire, that he hadbeen powerless to win any hold on his mistress's senses.

He had forgotten what he said, but he knew that he had spokenout in all the frank sincerity⁶ of his heart. He had exposed hisignorance of the world, his contemptible⁷ candour. The mischiefwas irreparable. Could anyone be more unfortunate? He had losteven the one advantage he possessed⁸, of being unknown to her.

Though he entertained no very high opinion of himself, he certainlyheld fate responsible for his natural deficiencies. He was poor,he reasoned, and therefore had no right to fall in love. Ah!

if only he were wealthy and familiar with all the things idle,prosperous people know, how entirely⁹ the splendour of his materialsurroundings would be in harmony with the splendour of his passion!

What blundering, ferocious¹⁰ god of cruelty had immured¹¹ in the dungeonof poverty this soul of his that so overflowed¹² with desires?

He opened his window and caught sight of his father's apprenticeon his way back to the workshop. The lad stood there on the pavementtalking with naive¹⁴ effrontery¹⁵ to a little book-stitcher of hisacquaintance. He was kissing the girl, without a thought of thepassers-by, and whistling a tune¹⁶ between his teeth. The pretty,sickly-looking slattern carried her rags with an air, and worea pair of smart, well-made boots; she was pretending to pushher admirer away, while really doing just the opposite, for theslim yet broad-shouldered stripling in his blue blouse had acertain townified elegance¹⁷ and the "conquering hero" air of thesuburban dancing-saloons. When he left her, she looked backrepeatedly; but he was examining the saveloys in a pork-butcher'swindow, never giving another thought to the girl.

Jean, as he looked on at the little scene, found himself envyinghis father's apprentice¹³.

1 banished   

v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚，五年后在那里去世。
• He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 voluptuous   

adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的

参考例句：

• The nobility led voluptuous lives.贵族阶层过着骄奢淫逸的生活。
• The dancer's movements were slow and voluptuous.舞女的动作缓慢而富挑逗性。

3 intoxication   

n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning

参考例句：

• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。
• Predator: Intoxication-Damage over time effect will now stack with other allies. Predator:Intoxication,持续性伤害的效果将会与队友相加。

4 prudish   

adj.装淑女样子的，装规矩的，过分规矩的；adv.过分拘谨地

参考例句：

• I'm not prudish but I think these photographs are obscene.我并不是假正经的人，但我觉得这些照片非常淫秽。
• She was sexually not so much chaste as prudish.她对男女关系与其说是注重贞节，毋宁说是持身谨慎。

5 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

6 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

7 contemptible   

adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的

参考例句：

• His personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.他气貌不扬，言语粗俗。
• That was a contemptible trick to play on a friend.那是对朋友玩弄的一出可鄙的把戏。

8 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

9 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

10 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

11 immured   

v.禁闭，监禁( immure的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was like a prisoner so long immured that freedom dazes him. 她象一个长年累月被关闭的囚犯，自由使她迷乱茫然。 来自辞典例句
• He immured himself in a small room to work undisturbed. 他自己关在小屋里埋头工作，以免受到骚扰。 来自辞典例句

12 overflowed   

溢出的

参考例句：

• Plates overflowed with party food. 聚会上的食物碟满盘盈。
• A great throng packed out the theater and overflowed into the corridors. 一大群人坐满剧院并且还有人涌到了走廊上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

14 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

15 effrontery   

n.厚颜无耻

参考例句：

• This is a despicable fraud . Just imagine that he has the effrontery to say it.这是一个可耻的骗局. 他竟然有脸说这样的话。
• One could only gasp at the sheer effrontery of the man.那人十足的厚颜无耻让人们吃惊得无话可说。

16 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

17 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。