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CHAPTER IV PEARLS MEAN TEARS
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 I remember—it must have been when I was at school because I don't go in for that sort of thing very largely nowadays—reading a poem or something about something or other in which there was a line which went, if I've got it rightly, "Shades of the prison house begin to close upon the growing boy." Well, what I'm driving at is that during the next two weeks that's exactly how it was with me. I mean to say, I could hear the wedding bells chiming faintly in the distance and getting louder and louder every day, and how the deuce to slide out of it was more than I could think. Jeeves, no doubt, could have dug up a dozen brainy schemes in a couple of minutes, but he was still aloof1 and chilly2 and I couldn't bring myself to ask him point-blank. I mean, he could see easily enough that the young master was in a bad way and, if that wasn't enough to make him overlook the fact that I was still gleaming brightly about the waistband, well, what it amounted to was that the old feudal3 spirit was dead in the blighter's bosom4 and there was nothing to be done about it.
 
It really was rummy the way the Hemmingway family had taken to me. I wouldn't have said off-hand that there was anything particularly fascinating about me—in fact, most people look on me as rather an ass5; but there was no getting away from the fact that I went like a breeze with this[Pg 39] girl and her brother. They didn't seem happy if they were away from me. I couldn't move a step, dash it, without one of them popping out from somewhere and freezing on. In fact, I'd got into the habit now of retiring to my room when I wanted to take it easy for a bit. I had managed to get a rather decent suite6 on the third floor, looking down on to the promenade7.
 
I had gone to earth in my suite one evening and for the first time that day was feeling that life wasn't so bad after all. Right through the day from lunch time I'd had the Hemmingway girl on my hands, Aunt Agatha having shooed us off together immediately after the midday meal. The result was, as I looked down on the lighted promenade and saw all the people popping happily about on their way to dinner and the Casino and what not, a kind of wistful feeling came over me. I couldn't help thinking how dashed happy I could have contrived9 to be in this place if only Aunt Agatha and the other blisters10 had been elsewhere.
 
I heaved a sigh, and at that moment there was a knock at the door.
 
"Someone at the door, Jeeves," I said.
 
"Yes, sir."
 
He opened the door, and in popped Aline Hemmingway and her brother. The last person I had expected. I really had thought that I could be alone for a minute in my own room.
 
"Oh, hallo!" I said.
 
"Oh, Mr. Wooster!" said the girl in a gasping11 sort of way. "I don't know how to begin."
 
Then I noticed that she appeared considerably12 rattled13, and as for the brother, he looked like a sheep with a secret sorrow.
 
This made me sit up a bit and take notice. I had supposed that this was just a social call, but[Pg 40] apparently14 something had happened to give them a jolt15. Though I couldn't see why they should come to me about it.
 
"Is anything up?" I said.
 
"Poor Sidney—it was my fault—I ought never to have let him go there alone," said the girl. Dashed agitated16.
 
At this point the brother, who after shedding a floppy17 overcoat and parking his hat on a chair had been standing18 by wrapped in the silence, gave a little cough, like a sheep caught in the mist on a mountain top.
 
"The fact is, Mr. Wooster," he said, "a sad, a most deplorable thing has occurred. This afternoon, while you were so kindly19 escorting my sist-ah, I found the time hang a little heavy upon my hands and I was tempted20 to—ah—gamble at the Casino."
 
I looked at the man in a kindlier spirit than I had been able to up to date. This evidence that he had sporting blood in his veins21 made him seem more human, I'm bound to say. If only I'd known earlier that he went in for that sort of thing, I felt that we might have had a better time together.
 
"Oh!" I said. "Did you click?"
 
He sighed heavily.
 
"If you mean was I successful, I must answer in the negative. I rashly persisted in the view that the colour red, having appeared no fewer than seven times in succession, must inevitably22 at no distant date give place to black. I was in error. I lost my little all, Mr. Wooster."
 
"Tough luck," I said.
 
"I left the Casino," proceeded the chappie, "and returned to the hotel. There I encountered one of my parishioners, a Colonel Musgrave, who [Pg 41]chanced to be holiday-making over here. I—er—induced him to cash me a cheque for one hundred pounds on my little account in my London bank."
 
"Well, that was all to the good, what?" I said, hoping to induce the poor fish to look on the bright side. "I mean, bit of luck finding someone to slip it into first crack out of the box."
 
"On the contrary, Mr. Wooster, it did but make matters worse. I burn with shame as I make the confession24, but I immediately went back to the Casino and lost the entire sum—this time under the mistaken supposition that the colour black was, as I believe the expression is, due for a run."
 
"I say!" I said. "You are having a night out!"
 
"And," concluded the chappie, "the most lamentable25 feature of the whole affair is that I have no funds in the bank to meet the cheque when presented."
 
I'm free to confess that, though I realised by this time that all this was leading up to a touch and that my ear was shortly going to be bitten in no uncertain manner, my heart warmed to the poor prune26. Indeed, I gazed at him with no little interest and admiration27. Never before had I encountered a curate so genuinely all to the mustard. Little as he might look like one of the lads of the village, he certainly appeared to be the real tabasco, and I wished he had shown me this side of his character before.
 
"Colonel Musgrave," he went on, gulping28 somewhat, "is not a man who would be likely to overlook the matter. He is a hard man. He will expose me to my vic-ah. My vic-ah is a hard man. In short, Mr. Wooster, if Colonel Musgrave presents that cheque I shall be ruined. And he leaves for England to-night."
 
The girl, who had been standing by biting her handkerchief and gurgling at intervals29 while the[Pg 42] brother got the above off his chest, now started in once more.
 
"Mr. Wooster," she cried, "won't you, won't you help us? Oh, do say you will! We must have the money to get back the cheque from Colonel Musgrave before nine o'clock—he leaves on the nine-twenty. I was at my wits' end what to do when I remembered how kind you had always been. Mr. Wooster, will you lend Sidney the money and take these as security?" And before I knew what she was doing she had dived into her bag, produced a case, and opened it. "My pearls," she said. "I don't know what they are worth—they were a present from my poor father——"
 
"Now, alas30, no more—" chipped in the brother.
 
"But I know they must be worth ever so much more than the amount we want."
 
Dashed embarrassing. Made me feel like a pawnbroker31. More than a touch of popping the watch about the whole business.
 
"No, I say, really," I protested. "There's no need of any security, you know, or any rot of that kind. Only too glad to let you have the money. I've got it on me, as a matter of fact. Rather luckily drew some this morning."
 
And I fished it out and pushed it across. The brother shook his head.
 
"Mr. Wooster," he said, "we appreciate your generosity32, your beautiful, heartening confidence in us, but we cannot permit this."
 
"What Sidney means," said the girl, "is that you really don't know anything about us when you come to think of it. You mustn't risk lending all this money without any security at all to two people who, after all, are almost strangers. If I hadn't thought that you would be quite business-like about this I would never have dared to come to you."
 
[Pg 43]
 
"The idea of—er—pledging the pearls at the local Mont de Piété? was, you will readily understand, repugnant to us," said the brother.
 
"If you will just give me a receipt, as a matter of form——"
 
"Oh, right-o!"
 
I wrote out the receipt and handed it over, feeling more or less of an ass.
 
"Here you are," I said.
 
The girl took the piece of paper, shoved it in her bag, grabbed the money and slipped it to brother Sidney, and then, before I knew what was happening, she had darted33 at me, kissed me, and legged it from the room.
 
I'm bound to say the thing rattled me. So dashed sudden and unexpected. I mean, a girl like that. Always been quiet and demure34 and what not—by no means the sort of female you'd have expected to go about the place kissing fellows. Through a sort of mist I could see that Jeeves had appeared from the background and was helping35 the brother on with his coat; and I remember wondering idly how the dickens a man could bring himself to wear a coat like that, it being more like a sack than anything else. Then the brother came up to me and grasped my hand.
 
"I cannot thank you sufficiently36, Mr. Wooster!"
 
"Oh, not at all."
 
"You have saved my good name. Good name in man or woman, dear my lord," he said, massaging37 the fin23 with some fervour, "is the immediate8 jewel of their souls. Who steals my purse steals trash. 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands. But he that filches38 from me my good name robs me of that which enriches not him and makes me poor indeed. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Good night, Mr. Wooster."
 
[Pg 44]
 
"Good night, old thing," I said.
 
I blinked at Jeeves as the door shut. "Rather a sad affair, Jeeves," I said.
 
"Yes, sir."
 
"Lucky I happened to have all that money handy."
 
"Well—er—yes, sir."
 
"You speak as though you didn't think much of it."
 
"It is not my place to criticise39 your actions, sir, but I will venture to say that I think you behaved a little rashly."
 
"What, lending that money?"
 
"Yes, sir. These fashionable French watering places are notoriously infested40 by dishonest characters."
 
This was a bit too thick.
 
"Now look here, Jeeves," I said, "I can stand a lot but when it comes to your casting asp-whatever-the-word-is on a bird in Holy Orders——"
 
"Perhaps I am over-suspicious, sir. But I have seen a great deal of these resorts. When I was in the employment of Lord Frederick Ranelagh, shortly before I entered your service, his lordship was very neatly41 swindled by a criminal known, I believe, by the sobriquet42 of Soapy Sid, who scraped acquaintance with us in Monte Carlo with the assistance of a female accomplice43. I have never forgotten the circumstances."
 
"I don't want to butt44 in on your reminiscences, Jeeves," I said, coldly, "but you're talking through your hat. How can there have been anything fishy45 about this business? They've left me the pearls, haven't they? Very well, then, think before you speak. You had better be tooling down to the desk now and having these things shoved in the hotel safe." I picked up the case and opened it. "Oh, Great Scott!"
 
[Pg 45]
 
The bally thing was empty!
 
"Oh, my Lord!" I said, staring. "Don't tell me there's been dirty work at the crossroads after all!"
 
"Precisely46, sir. It was in exactly the same manner that Lord Frederick was swindled on the occasion to which I have alluded47. While his female accomplice was gratefully embracing his lordship, Soapy Sid substituted a duplicate case for the one containing the pearls and went off with the jewels, the money and the receipt. On the strength of the receipt he subsequently demanded from his lordship the return of the pearls, and his lordship, not being able to produce them, was obliged to pay a heavy sum in compensation. It is a simple but effective ruse48."
 
I felt as if the bottom had dropped out of things with a jerk.
 
"Soapy Sid? Sid! Sidney! Brother Sidney! Why, by Jove, Jeeves, do you think that parson was Soapy Sid?"
 
"Yes, sir."
 
"But it seems so extraordinary. Why, his collar buttoned at the back—I mean, he would have deceived a bishop49. Do you really think he was Soapy Sid?"
 
"Yes, sir. I recognised him directly he came into the room."
 
I stared at the blighter.
 
"You recognised him?"
 
"Yes, sir."
 
"Then, dash it all," I said, deeply moved, "I think you might have told me."
 
"I thought it would save disturbance50 and unpleasantness if I merely abstracted the case from the man's pocket as I assisted him with his coat, sir. Here it is."
 
[Pg 46]
 
He laid another case on the table beside the dud one, and, by Jove, you couldn't tell them apart. I opened it and there were the good old pearls, as merry and bright as dammit, smiling up at me. I gazed feebly at the man. I was feeling a bit overwrought.
 
"Jeeves," I said. "You're an absolute genius!"
 
"Yes, sir."
 
Relief was surging over me in great chunks51 by now. Thanks to Jeeves I was not going to be called on to cough up several thousand quid.
 
"It looks to me as though you had saved the old home. I mean, even a chappie endowed with the immortal52 rind of dear old Sid is hardly likely to have the nerve to come back and retrieve53 these little chaps."
 
"I should imagine not, sir."
 
"Well, then—— Oh, I say, you don't think they are just paste or anything like that?"
 
"No, sir. These are genuine pearls and extremely valuable."
 
"Well, then, dash it, I'm on velvet54. Absolutely reclining on the good old plush! I may be down a hundred quid but I'm up a jolly good string of pearls. Am I right or wrong?"
 
"Hardly that, sir. I think that you will have to restore the pearls."
 
"What! To Sid? Not while I have my physique!"
 
"No, sir. To their rightful owner."
 
"But who is their rightful owner?"
 
"Mrs. Gregson, sir."
 
"What! How do you know?"
 
"It was all over the hotel an hour ago that Mrs. Gregson's pearls had been abstracted. I was speaking to Mrs. Gregson's maid shortly before you[Pg 47] came in and she informed me that the manager of the hotel is now in Mrs. Gregson's suite."
 
"And having a devil of a time, what?"
 
"So I should be disposed to imagine, sir."
 
The situation was beginning to unfold before me.
 
"I'll go and give them back to her, eh? It'll put me one up, what?"
 
"Precisely, sir. And, if I may make the suggestion, I think it might be judicious55 to stress the fact that they were stolen by——"
 
"Great Scott! By the dashed girl she was hounding me on to marry, by Jove!"
 
"Exactly, sir."
 
"Jeeves," I said, "this is going to be the biggest score off my jolly old relative that has ever occurred in the world's history."
 
"It is not unlikely, sir."
 
"Keep her quiet for a bit, what? Make her stop snootering me for a while?"
 
"It should have that effect, sir."
 
"Golly!" I said, bounding for the door.
 
*         *         *         *         *
 
Long before I reached Aunt Agatha's lair56 I could tell that the hunt was up. Divers57 chappies in hotel uniform and not a few chambermaids of sorts were hanging about in the corridor, and through the panels I could hear a mixed assortment58 of voices, with Aunt Agatha's topping the lot. I knocked but no one took any notice, so I trickled59 in. Among those present I noticed a chambermaid in hysterics, Aunt Agatha with her hair bristling60, and the whiskered cove61 who looked like a bandit, the hotel manager fellow.
 
"Oh, hallo!" I said. "Hallo-allo-allo!"
 
Aunt Agatha shooshed me away. No welcoming smile for Bertram.
 
[Pg 48]
 
"Don't bother me now, Bertie," she snapped, looking at me as if I were more or less the last straw.
 
"Something up?"
 
"Yes, yes, yes! I've lost my pearls."
 
"Pearls? Pearls? Pearls?" I said. "No, really? Dashed annoying. Where did you see them last?"
 
"What does it matter where I saw them last? They have been stolen."
 
Here Wilfred the Whisker King, who seemed to have been taking a rest between rounds, stepped into the ring again and began to talk rapidly in French. Cut to the quick he seemed. The chambermaid whooped62 in the corner.
 
"Sure you've looked everywhere?" I said.
 
"Of course I've looked everywhere."
 
"Well, you know, I've often lost a collar stud and——"
 
"Do try not to be so maddening, Bertie! I have enough to bear without your imbecilities. Oh, be quiet! Be quiet!" she shouted in the sort of voice used by sergeant-majors and those who call the cattle home across the Sands of Dee. And such was the magnetism63 of her forceful personality that Wilfred subsided64 as if he had run into a wall. The chambermaid continued to go strong.
 
"I say," I said, "I think there's something the matter with this girl. Isn't she crying or something? You may not have spotted65 it, but I'm rather quick at noticing things."
 
"She stole my pearls! I am convinced of it."
 
This started the whisker specialist off again, and in about a couple of minutes Aunt Agatha had reached the frozen grande-dame stage and was putting the last of the bandits through it in the voice she usually reserves for snubbing waiters in restaurants.
 
[Pg 49]
 
"I tell you, my good man, for the hundredth time——"
 
"I say," I said, "don't want to interrupt you and all that sort of thing, but these aren't the little chaps by any chance, are they?"
 
I pulled the pearls out of my pocket and held them up.
 
"These look like pearls, what?"
 
I don't know when I've had a more juicy moment. It was one of those occasions about which I shall prattle66 to my grandchildren—if I ever have any, which at the moment of going to press seems more or less of a hundred-to-one shot. Aunt Agatha simply deflated67 before my eyes. It reminded me of when I once saw some chappies letting the gas out of a balloon.
 
"Where—where—where——" she gurgled.
 
"I got them from your friend, Miss Hemmingway."
 
Even now she didn't get it.
 
"From Miss Hemmingway. Miss Hemmingway! But—but how did they come into her possession?"
 
"How?" I said. "Because she jolly well stole them. Pinched them! Swiped them! Because that's how she makes her living, dash it—palling up to unsuspicious people in hotels and sneaking68 their jewellery. I don't know what her alias69 is, but her bally brother, the chap whose collar buttons at the back, is known in criminal circles as Soapy Sid."
 
She blinked.
 
"Miss Hemmingway a thief! I—I——" She stopped and looked feebly at me. "But how did you manage to recover the pearls, Bertie dear?"
 
"Never mind," I said crisply. "I have my methods." I dug out my entire stock of manly70 courage, breathed a short prayer and let her have it right in the thorax.
 
"I must say, Aunt Agatha, dash it all," I said severely71, "I think you have been infernally careless.[Pg 50] There's a printed notice in every bedroom in this place saying that there's a safe in the manager's office where jewellery and valuables ought to be placed, and you absolutely disregarded it. And what's the result? The first thief who came along simply walked into your room and pinched your pearls. And instead of admitting that it was all your fault, you started biting this poor man here in the gizzard. You have been very, very unjust to this poor man."
 
"Yes, yes," moaned the poor man.
 
"And this unfortunate girl, what about her? Where does she get off? You've accused her of stealing the things on absolutely no evidence. I think she would be jolly well advised to bring an action for—for whatever it is and soak you for substantial damages."
 
"Mais oui, mais oui, c'est trop fort!" shouted the Bandit Chief, backing me up like a good 'un. And the chambermaid looked up inquiringly, as if the sun was breaking through the clouds.
 
"I shall recompense her," said Aunt Agatha feebly.
 
"If you take my tip you jolly well will, and that eftsoons or right speedily. She's got a cast-iron case, and if I were her I wouldn't take a penny under twenty quid. But what gives me the pip most is the way you've unjustly abused this poor man here and tried to give his hotel a bad name——"
 
"Yes, by damn! It's too bad!" cried the whiskered marvel72. "You careless old woman! You give my hotel bad names, would you or wasn't it? To-morrow you leave my hotel, by great Scotland!"
 
And more to the same effect, all good, ripe stuff. And presently having said his say he withdrew, taking the chambermaid with him, the latter with a crisp tenner clutched in a vice-like grip. I suppose she and the bandit split it outside. A French hotel[Pg 51] manager wouldn't be likely to let real money wander away from him without counting himself in on the division.
 
I turned to Aunt Agatha, whose demeanour was now rather like that of one who, picking daisies on the railway, has just caught the down express in the small of the back.
 
"I don't want to rub it in, Aunt Agatha," I said coldly, "but I should just like to point out before I go that the girl who stole your pearls is the girl you've been hounding me on to marry ever since I got here. Good heavens! Do you realise that if you had brought the thing off I should probably have had children who would have sneaked73 my watch while I was dandling them on my knee? I'm not a complaining sort of chap as a rule, but I must say that another time I do think you might be more careful how you go about egging me on to marry females."
 
I gave her one look, turned on my heel and left the room.
 
*         *         *         *         *
 
"Ten o'clock, a clear night, and all's well, Jeeves," I said, breezing back into the good old suite.
 
"I am gratified to hear it, sir."
 
"If twenty quid would be any use to you, Jeeves——"
 
"I am much obliged, sir."
 
There was a pause. And then—well, it was a wrench74, but I did it. I unstripped the cummerbund and handed it over.
 
"Do you wish me to press this, sir?"
 
I gave the thing one last, longing75 look. It had been very dear to me.
 
"No," I said, "take it away; give it to the deserving poor—I shall never wear it again."
 
"Thank you very much, sir," said Jeeves.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 aloof wxpzN     
adj.远离的;冷淡的,漠不关心的
参考例句:
  • Never stand aloof from the masses.千万不可脱离群众。
  • On the evening the girl kept herself timidly aloof from the crowd.这小女孩在晚会上一直胆怯地远离人群。
2 chilly pOfzl     
adj.凉快的,寒冷的
参考例句:
  • I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
  • I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
3 feudal cg1zq     
adj.封建的,封地的,领地的
参考例句:
  • Feudal rulers ruled over the country several thousand years.封建统治者统治这个国家几千年。
  • The feudal system lasted for two thousand years in China.封建制度在中国延续了两千年之久。
4 bosom Lt9zW     
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的
参考例句:
  • She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
  • A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。
5 ass qvyzK     
n.驴;傻瓜,蠢笨的人
参考例句:
  • He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
  • An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。
6 suite MsMwB     
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员
参考例句:
  • She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
  • That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
7 promenade z0Wzy     
n./v.散步
参考例句:
  • People came out in smarter clothes to promenade along the front.人们穿上更加时髦漂亮的衣服,沿着海滨散步。
  • We took a promenade along the canal after Sunday dinner.星期天晚饭后我们沿着运河散步。
8 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
参考例句:
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
9 contrived ivBzmO     
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的
参考例句:
  • There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
  • The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。
10 blisters 8df7f04e28aff1a621b60569ee816a0f     
n.水疱( blister的名词复数 );水肿;气泡
参考例句:
  • My new shoes have made blisters on my heels. 我的新鞋把我的脚跟磨起泡了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • His new shoes raised blisters on his feet. 他的新鞋把他的脚磨起了水疱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 gasping gasping     
adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词
参考例句:
  • He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
  • "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗?”“我巴不得能喝点!”
12 considerably 0YWyQ     
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上
参考例句:
  • The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
  • The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
13 rattled b4606e4247aadf3467575ffedf66305b     
慌乱的,恼火的
参考例句:
  • The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
  • Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里,窗户都格格作响。
14 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
15 jolt ck1y2     
v.(使)摇动,(使)震动,(使)颠簸
参考例句:
  • We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
  • They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着,担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。
16 agitated dzgzc2     
adj.被鼓动的,不安的
参考例句:
  • His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
  • She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
17 floppy xjGx1     
adj.松软的,衰弱的
参考例句:
  • She was wearing a big floppy hat.她戴了顶松软的大帽子。
  • Can you copy those files onto this floppy disk?你能把那些文件复制到这张软盘上吗?
18 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
19 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
参考例句:
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
20 tempted b0182e969d369add1b9ce2353d3c6ad6     
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词)
参考例句:
  • I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚,但还是没开口。
  • I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
21 veins 65827206226d9e2d78ea2bfe697c6329     
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理
参考例句:
  • The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的,感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 inevitably x7axc     
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地
参考例句:
  • In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去,毫无疑问是会散伙的。
  • Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。
23 fin qkexO     
n.鳍;(飞机的)安定翼
参考例句:
  • They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
  • The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。
24 confession 8Ygye     
n.自白,供认,承认
参考例句:
  • Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
  • The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。
25 lamentable A9yzi     
adj.令人惋惜的,悔恨的
参考例句:
  • This lamentable state of affairs lasted until 1947.这一令人遗憾的事态一直持续至1947年。
  • His practice of inebriation was lamentable.他的酗酒常闹得别人束手无策。
26 prune k0Kzf     
n.酶干;vt.修剪,砍掉,削减;vi.删除
参考例句:
  • Will you prune away the unnecessary adjectives in the passage?把这段文字中不必要的形容词删去好吗?
  • It is our job to prune the side branches of these trees.我们的工作就是修剪这些树的侧枝。
27 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕
参考例句:
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
28 gulping 0d120161958caa5168b07053c2b2fd6e     
v.狼吞虎咽地吃,吞咽( gulp的现在分词 );大口地吸(气);哽住
参考例句:
  • She crawled onto the river bank and lay there gulping in air. 她爬上河岸,躺在那里喘着粗气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • And you'll even feel excited gulping down a glass. 你甚至可以感觉到激动下一杯。 来自互联网
29 intervals f46c9d8b430e8c86dea610ec56b7cbef     
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息
参考例句:
  • The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴,有阵雨。
  • Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。
30 alas Rx8z1     
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句:
  • Alas!The window is broken!哎呀!窗子破了!
  • Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
31 pawnbroker SiAys     
n.典当商,当铺老板
参考例句:
  • He redeemed his watch from the pawnbroker's.他从当铺赎回手表。
  • She could get fifty dollars for those if she went to the pawnbroker's.要是她去当铺当了这些东西,她是可以筹出50块钱的。
32 generosity Jf8zS     
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为
参考例句:
  • We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
  • We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。
33 darted d83f9716cd75da6af48046d29f4dd248     
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》
34 demure 3mNzb     
adj.严肃的;端庄的
参考例句:
  • She's very demure and sweet.她非常娴静可爱。
  • The luscious Miss Wharton gave me a demure but knowing smile.性感迷人的沃顿小姐对我羞涩地会心一笑。
35 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
36 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地,充分地
参考例句:
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
37 massaging 900a624ac429d397d32b1f3bb9f962f1     
按摩,推拿( massage的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He watched the prisoner massaging his freed wrists. 他看着那个犯人不断揉搓着刚松开的两只手腕。
  • Massaging your leg will ease the cramp. 推拿大腿可解除抽筋。
38 filches 09bf06aa3b2f11f4da7f4f8d9c698a8d     
v.偷(尤指小的或不贵重的物品)( filch的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • He is so solemn that everyone who sees him filches. 他这人太严肃,谁见了他都打憷。 来自互联网
39 criticise criticise     
v.批评,评论;非难
参考例句:
  • Right and left have much cause to criticise government.左翼和右翼有很多理由批评政府。
  • It is not your place to criticise or suggest improvements!提出批评或给予改进建议并不是你的责任!
40 infested f7396944f0992504a7691e558eca6411     
adj.为患的,大批滋生的(常与with搭配)v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 );遍布于
参考例句:
  • The kitchen was infested with ants. 厨房里到处是蚂蚁。
  • The apartments were infested with rats and roaches. 公寓里面到处都是老鼠和蟑螂。
41 neatly ynZzBp     
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地
参考例句:
  • Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
  • The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
42 sobriquet kFrzg     
n.绰号
参考例句:
  • In Paris he was rewarded with the sobriquet of an "ultra-liberal".在巴黎,他被冠以“超自由主义者”的绰号。
  • Andrew Jackson was known by the sobriquet "Old Hickory." 安德鲁•杰克生以其绰号“老山胡桃”而知名。
43 accomplice XJsyq     
n.从犯,帮凶,同谋
参考例句:
  • She was her husband's accomplice in murdering a rich old man.她是她丈夫谋杀一个老富翁的帮凶。
  • He is suspected as an accomplice of the murder.他涉嫌为这次凶杀案的同谋。
44 butt uSjyM     
n.笑柄;烟蒂;枪托;臀部;v.用头撞或顶
参考例句:
  • The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
  • He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。
45 fishy ysgzzF     
adj. 值得怀疑的
参考例句:
  • It all sounds very fishy to me.所有这些在我听起来都很可疑。
  • There was definitely something fishy going on.肯定当时有可疑的事情在进行中。
46 precisely zlWzUb     
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地
参考例句:
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
47 alluded 69f7a8b0f2e374aaf5d0965af46948e7     
提及,暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • In your remarks you alluded to a certain sinister design. 在你的谈话中,你提到了某个阴谋。
  • She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles. 她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。
48 ruse 5Ynxv     
n.诡计,计策;诡计
参考例句:
  • The children thought of a clever ruse to get their mother to leave the house so they could get ready for her surprise.孩子们想出一个聪明的办法使妈妈离家,以便他们能准备给她一个惊喜。It is now clear that this was a ruse to divide them.现在已清楚这是一个离间他们的诡计。
49 bishop AtNzd     
n.主教,(国际象棋)象
参考例句:
  • He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
  • Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。
50 disturbance BsNxk     
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调
参考例句:
  • He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
  • You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。
51 chunks a0e6aa3f5109dc15b489f628b2f01028     
厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 ); (某物)相当大的数量或部分
参考例句:
  • a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
  • Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大,还能再切小一点吗?
52 immortal 7kOyr     
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!
53 retrieve ZsYyp     
vt.重新得到,收回;挽回,补救;检索
参考例句:
  • He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
  • The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。
54 velvet 5gqyO     
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的
参考例句:
  • This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
  • The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。
55 judicious V3LxE     
adj.明智的,明断的,能作出明智决定的
参考例句:
  • We should listen to the judicious opinion of that old man.我们应该听取那位老人明智的意见。
  • A judicious parent encourages his children to make their own decisions.贤明的父亲鼓励儿女自作抉择。
56 lair R2jx2     
n.野兽的巢穴;躲藏处
参考例句:
  • How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?不入虎穴,焉得虎子?
  • I retired to my lair,and wrote some letters.我回到自己的躲藏处,写了几封信。
57 divers hu9z23     
adj.不同的;种种的
参考例句:
  • He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人,要他们和他作伴。
  • Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作,同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。
58 assortment FVDzT     
n.分类,各色俱备之物,聚集
参考例句:
  • This shop has a good assortment of goods to choose from.该店各色货物俱全,任君选择。
  • She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes.她穿着奇装异服。
59 trickled 636e70f14e72db3fe208736cb0b4e651     
v.滴( trickle的过去式和过去分词 );淌;使)慢慢走;缓慢移动
参考例句:
  • Blood trickled down his face. 血从他脸上一滴滴流下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The tears trickled down her cheeks. 热泪一滴滴从她脸颊上滚下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
60 bristling tSqyl     
a.竖立的
参考例句:
  • "Don't you question Miz Wilkes' word,'said Archie, his beard bristling. "威尔克斯太太的话,你就不必怀疑了。 "阿尔奇说。他的胡子也翘了起来。
  • You were bristling just now. 你刚才在发毛。
61 cove 9Y8zA     
n.小海湾,小峡谷
参考例句:
  • The shore line is wooded,olive-green,a pristine cove.岸边一带林木蓊郁,嫩绿一片,好一个山外的小海湾。
  • I saw two children were playing in a cove.我看到两个小孩正在一个小海湾里玩耍。
62 whooped e66c6d05be2853bfb6cf7848c8d6f4d8     
叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 ); 高声说; 唤起
参考例句:
  • The bill whooped through both houses. 此提案在一片支持的欢呼声中由两院匆匆通过。
  • The captive was whooped and jeered. 俘虏被叱责讥笑。
63 magnetism zkxyW     
n.磁性,吸引力,磁学
参考例句:
  • We know about magnetism by the way magnets act.我们通过磁铁的作用知道磁性是怎么一回事。
  • His success showed his magnetism of courage and devotion.他的成功表现了他的胆量和热诚的魅力。
64 subsided 1bda21cef31764468020a8c83598cc0d     
v.(土地)下陷(因在地下采矿)( subside的过去式和过去分词 );减弱;下降至较低或正常水平;一下子坐在椅子等上
参考例句:
  • After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后,部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚, 暴风雨已经过去,四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
65 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
66 prattle LPbx7     
n.闲谈;v.(小孩般)天真无邪地说话;发出连续而无意义的声音
参考例句:
  • Amy's happy prattle became intolerable.艾美兴高采烈地叽叽喳喳说个不停,汤姆感到无法忍受。
  • Flowing water and green grass witness your lover's endless prattle.流水缠绕,小草依依,都是你诉不尽的情话。
67 deflated deflated     
adj. 灰心丧气的
参考例句:
  • I was quite deflated by her lack of interest in my suggestions.他对我的建议兴趣不大,令我感到十分气馁。
  • He was deflated by the news.这消息令他泄气。
68 sneaking iibzMu     
a.秘密的,不公开的
参考例句:
  • She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
  • She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走,躲开采访者。
69 alias LKMyX     
n.化名;别名;adv.又名
参考例句:
  • His real name was Johnson,but he often went by the alias of Smith.他的真名是约翰逊,但是他常常用化名史密斯。
  • You can replace this automatically generated alias with a more meaningful one.可用更有意义的名称替换这一自动生成的别名。
70 manly fBexr     
adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地
参考例句:
  • The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
  • He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务,并希望别人效之。
71 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
72 marvel b2xyG     
vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事
参考例句:
  • The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
  • The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。
73 sneaked fcb2f62c486b1c2ed19664da4b5204be     
v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 );偷偷溜走;(儿童向成人)打小报告;告状
参考例句:
  • I sneaked up the stairs. 我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
  • She sneaked a surreptitious glance at her watch. 她偷偷看了一眼手表。
74 wrench FMvzF     
v.猛拧;挣脱;使扭伤;n.扳手;痛苦,难受
参考例句:
  • He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
  • It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。
75 longing 98bzd     
n.(for)渴望
参考例句:
  • Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
  • His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。


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