The sort of thing we had in mind to write would have been exceedingly persuasive1. We intended to discourse2 a little in favour of a greater appreciation3 of Indolence as a benign4 factor in human affairs.
It is our observation that every time we get into trouble it is due to not having been lazy enough. Unhappily, we were born with a certain fund of energy. We have been hustling5 about for a number[Pg 245] of years now, and it doesn't seem to get us anything but tribulation6. Henceforward we are going to make a determined7 effort to be more languid and demure8. It is the bustling9 man who always gets put on committees, who is asked to solve the problems of other people and neglect his own.
The man who is really, thoroughly10, and philosophically12 slothful is the only thoroughly happy man. It is the happy man who benefits the world. The conclusion is inescapable.
We remember a saying about the meek14 inheriting the earth. The truly meek man is the lazy man. He is too modest to believe that any ferment15 and hubbub16 of his can ameliorate the earth or assuage17 the perplexities of humanity.
O. Henry said once that one should be careful to distinguish laziness from dignified18 repose19. Alas20, that was a mere21 quibble. Laziness is always dignified, it is always reposeful22. Philosophical11 laziness, we mean. The kind of laziness that is based upon a carefully reasoned analysis of experience. Acquired laziness. We have no respect for those who were born lazy; it is like being born a millionaire: they cannot appreciate their bliss23. It is the man who has hammered his laziness out of the stubborn material of life for whom we chant praise and allelulia.
The laziest man we know—we do not like to mention his name, as the brutal24 world does not yet[Pg 246] recognize sloth13 at its community value—is one of the greatest poets in this country; one of the keenest satirists; one of the most rectilinear thinkers. He began life in the customary hustling way. He was always too busy to enjoy himself. He became surrounded by eager people who came to him to solve their problems. “It's a queer thing,” he said sadly; “no one ever comes to me asking for help in solving my problems.” Finally the light broke upon him. He stopped answering letters, buying lunches for casual friends and visitors from out of town, he stopped lending money to old college pals25 and frittering his time away on all the useless minor26 matters that pester27 the good-natured. He sat down in a secluded28 café with his cheek against a seidel of dark beer and began to caress29 the universe with his intellect.
The most damning argument against the Germans is that they were not lazy enough. In the middle of Europe, a thoroughly disillusioned30, indolent and delightful31 old continent, the Germans were a dangerous mass of energy and bumptious32 push. If the Germans had been as lazy, as indifferent, and as righteously laissez-fairish as their neighbours, the world would have been spared a great deal.
People respect laziness. If you once get a reputation for complete, immovable, and reckless indolence the world will leave you to your own thoughts, which are generally rather interesting.[Pg 247]
Doctor Johnson, who was one of the world's great philosophers, was lazy. Only yesterday our friend the Caliph showed us an extraordinarily33 interesting thing. It was a little leather-bound notebook in which Boswell jotted34 down memoranda36 of his talks with the old doctor. These notes he afterward37 worked up into the immortal38 Biography. And lo and behold39, what was the very first entry in this treasured little relic40?
Doctor Johnson told me in going to Ilam from Ashbourne, 22 September, 1777, that the way the plan of his Dictionary came to be addressed to Lord Chesterfield was this: He had neglected to write it by the time appointed. Dodsley suggested a desire to have it addressed to Lord C. Mr. J. laid hold of this as an excuse for delay, that it might be better done perhaps, and let Dodsley have his desire. Mr. Johnson said to his friend, Doctor Bathurst: “Now if any good comes of my addressing to Lord Chesterfield it will be ascribed to deep policy and address, when, in fact, it was only a casual excuse for laziness.”
Thus we see that it was sheer laziness that led to the greatest triumph of Doctor Johnson's life, the noble and memorable41 letter to Chesterfield in 1775.
Mind your business is a good counsel; but mind your idleness also. It's a tragic42 thing to make a business of your mind. Save your mind to amuse yourself with.[Pg 248]
The lazy man does not stand in the way of progress. When he sees progress roaring down upon him he steps nimbly out of the way. The lazy man doesn't (in the vulgar phrase) pass the buck43. He lets the buck pass him. We have always secretly envied our lazy friends. Now we are going to join them. We have burned our boats or our bridges or whatever it is that one burns on the eve of a momentous44 decision.
Writing on this congenial topic has roused us up to quite a pitch of enthusiasm and energy.
[Pg 249]
TEACHING THE PRINCE TO TAKE NOTES
Top
p249
The Prince of Wales probably suffers severely46 during his tours abroad, for he is a shy youth; but he also makes many friends, for he is a delightfully47 simple and agreeable person. When we used to see him he looked a good deal like the traditional prince of the fairy tales, for he was a slender boy with yellow hair, and blue eyes, and a quick pink blush. And we feel toward him the friendly sense of superiority that the college alumnus always feels toward the man who was a freshman48 when he himself was a senior; for the prince and ourself stood in that relation a few years ago at a certain haunt of letters.[Pg 250]
There was a course of lectures on history that we were to attend. It was a popular course, and the attendance was large. Arriving late at the first lecture the room was packed, and we could see from the door that there was only one empty seat. This happened to be in the very front row, and wondering how it was that so desirable a place had not been seized we hastened to it. The lecturer was a swift talker, and we fell to taking notes busily. Not for some minutes did we have a chance to scrutinize49 our surroundings. We then saw that in the adjoining chair sat the prince, and surmised50 that no one had wanted to take the chair for fear of being twitted by his companions for a supposed desire to hobnob with royalty52.
If we remember correctly, it was the prince's first term of college life. The task of taking notes from a rapid-fire lecturer was plainly one to which he was not accustomed, and as he wrestled53 with his notebook we could see that he had not learned the art of considering the lecturer's remarks and putting down only the gist54 of them, in some abbreviated55 system of his own, as every experienced student learns. Grant Robertson, the well-known historian, was lecturing on English constitutional documents, and his swift and informal utterance56 was perfectly57 easy to summarize if one knew how to get down the important points and neglect the rest. But the unhappy prince, desperately58 eager to do the right thing in[Pg 251] this new experience, was trying to write down every word. If, for instance, Mr. Robertson said (in a humorous aside), “Henry VIII was a sinful old man with a hobby of becoming a widower59,” the experienced listener would jot35 down something like this: H 8, self-made widower. But we could see that the prince was laboriously60 copying out the sentence in full. And naturally, by the end of a few paragraphs, he was hopelessly behind. But he scribbled61 away industriously62, doing his best. He realized, however, that he had not quite got the hang of the thing, and at the end of the lecture he turned to us with most agreeable bashfulness and asked if we would lend him our notebook, so that he could get down the points that he had missed. We did so, and briefly63 explained our own system of abbreviating64. We noticed that in succeeding sessions our royal neighbour did very much better, learning in some measure to discriminate65 between what was advisable to note down and what was mere explanatory matter or persiflage66 on the part of the lecturer. But (if we must be candid) we would not recommend him as a newspaper reporter. And, indeed, the line of work to which he has been called does not require quite as intense concentration as that of a cub67 on what Philip Gibbs calls “The Street of Adventure.”
No one could come in contact with the prince without liking68 him, for his bashful, gentle, and[Pg 252] teachable nature is very winning. We remember with a certain amusement the time that Grant Robertson got off one of his annual gags to the effect that, according to the principle of strict legitimacy69, there were in Europe several hundred (we forget the figure) people with a greater right to the British throne than the family at present occupying it. The roomful of students roared with genial45 mirth, and the unhappy prince blushed in a way that young girls used to in the good old days of three-piece bathing suits.
A CITY NOTEBOOK
Top
(Philadelphia)
It would be hard to find a more lovely spot in the flush of a summer sunset than Wister Woods. Old residents of the neighbourhood say that the trees are not what they were fifteen and twenty years ago; the chestnuts72 have died off; even some of the tall tulip-poplars are a little bald at the top, and one was recently felled by a gale73. But still that quiet plateau stands in a serene74 hush75, flooded with rich orange glow on a warm evening. The hollyhocks in the back gardens of Rubicam Street are scarlet76 and Swiss-cheese-coloured and black; and looking across the railroad ravine one sees crypts and aisles77 of green as though in the heart of some cathedral of the great woods.
Belfield Avenue, which bends through the valley in a curve of warm thick yellow dust, will some day be boulevarded into a spick-and-span highway for motors. But now it lies little trafficked, and one might prefer to have it so, for in the stillness of the evening the birds are eloquent79. The thrushes of Wister Woods, which have been immortalized by T. A. Daly in perhaps the loveliest poem ever[Pg 254] written in Philadelphia, flute80 and whistle their tantalizing81 note, while the song sparrow echoes them with his confident, challenging call. Down behind the dusty sumac shrubbery lies the little blue-green cottage said to have been used by Benjamin West as a studio. In a meadow beside the road two cows were grazing in the blue shadow of overhanging woodland.
Over the road leans a flat outcrop of stone, known locally as “The Bum's Rock.” An antique philosopher of those parts assured the wayfarer82 that it is named for a romantic vagabond who perished there by the explosion of a can of Bohemian goulash which he was heating over a small fire of sticks; but one doubts the tale. Our own conjecture83 is that it is named for Jacob Boehm, the oldtime brewer84 of Germantown, who predicted in his chronicles that the world would come to an end in July, 1919. From his point of view he was not so far wrong.
Above Boehm's Rock, in a grassy85 level among the[Pg 255] trees, a merry little circle of young ladies was sitting round a picnic supper. The twilight86 grew darker and fireflies began to twinkle. In the steep curve of the Cinder87 and Bloodshot (between Fisher's and Wister stations) a cheerful train rumbled88, with its engine running backward just like a country local. Its bright shaft89 of light wavered among the tall tree trunks. One would not imagine that it was less than six miles to the City Hall.
A quarter to one a. m., and a hot, silent night. As one walks up Chestnut71 Street a distant roaring is heard, which rapidly grows louder. The sound has a note of terrifying menace. Then, careering down the almost deserted90 highway, comes a huge water-tank, throbbing91 like an airplane. A creamy sheet of water, shot out at high pressure, floods the street on each side, dashing up on the pavements. A knot of belated revellers in front of the Adelphia Hotel, standing92 in mid-street, to discuss ways and means of getting home, skip nimbly to one side, the ladies lifting up their dresses with shrill93 squeaks95 of alarm as the water splashes round them. Pedestrians96 plodding97 quietly up the street cower98 fearfully against the buildings, while a fine mist envelops99 them.
After the tank comes, more leisurely100, a squad101 of brooms. The street is dripping, every sewer102 opening clucks and gurgles with the falling water. There is something unbelievably humorous in the way that[Pg 256] roaring Niagara of water dashes madly down the silent street. There is a note of irony103 in it, too, for the depressed104 enthusiasts105 who have been sitting all evening in a restaurant over lemonade and ginger106 ale. Perhaps the chauffeur107 is a prohibitionist108 gone mad.
While eating half a dozen doughnuts in a Broad Street lunchroom at one o'clock in the morning, we mused110 happily about our friends all tucked away in bed, sound asleep. There is one in particular on whom we thought with serene pleasure. It was charming to think of that delightful, argumentative, contradictory111, volatile112 person, his active mind stilled in the admirable reticence113 of slumber114. He, so endlessly speculatory, so full of imaginative enthusiasms and riotous115 intuitions and troubled zeals concerning humanity, lost in a beneficent swoon of unconsciousness! We could not just say why, but we broke into chuckles116 to think of him lying there, not denying any of our statements, absolutely and positively117 saying nothing. To have one's friends asleep now and then is very refreshing118.
Off Walnut119 Street, below Fifth, and just east of the window where that perfectly lovely damsel sits operating an adding machine—why is it, by the way, that the girls who run adding machines are always so marvellously fair? Is there some secret virtue120 in the process of adding that makes one lovely? We feel sure that a subtracting engine would not have that subtle beautifying effect—just below Fifth Street, we started to say, there runs a little alley78 called (we believe) De Silver Court. It is a sombre little channel between high walls and barred windows, but it is a retreat we recommend highly to hay fever sufferers. For in one of the buildings adjoining there seems to be a warehouse121 of some company that makes an “aromatic122 disinfector.” Wandering in there by chance, we stood delighted at the sweet medicinal savour that was wafted123 on the air. It had a most cheering effect upon our emunctory woes124, and we lingered so long, in a meditative125 and healing ecstasy126, that young women immured127 in the basement of the aromatic warehouse began to peer upward from the barred windows of their basement and squeak94 with astonished and nervous mirth. We blew a loud salute128 and moved away.
We entered a lunchroom on Broad Street for our favourite breakfast of coffee and a pair of crullers. It was strangely early and only a few of the flat-arm chairs were occupied. After dispatching the rations129 we carefully filled our pipe. With us we had a copy of an agreeable book, “The Calamities130 and Quarrels of Authors.” It occurred to us that here, in the brisk serenity131 of the morning, would be a charming opportunity for a five-minute smoke and five pages of reading before attacking the ardours and endurances[Pg 258] of the day. Lovingly we applied132 the match to the fuel. We began to read:
Of all the sorrows in which the female character may participate, there are few more affecting than those of an authoress——
A stern, white-coated official came over to us and tapped us on the shoulder.
“There's a sign behind you,” he said.
We looked, guiltily, and saw:
POSITIVELY
NO SMOKING
The cocoateria on Eighth Street closes at one a. m. Between twelve-thirty and closing time it is full of[Pg 259] busy eaters, mostly the night shift from the Chestnut Street newspaper offices and printing and engraving133 firms in the neighbourhood. Ham and eggs blossom merrily. The white-coated waiters move in swift, stern circuit. Griddle cakes bake with amazing swiftness toward the stroke of one. Little dishes of baked beans stand hot and ready in the steam-chest. The waiter punches your check as he brings your frankfurters and coffee. He adds another perforation when you get your ice cream. Then he comes back and punches it again.
“Sorry, brother,” he says. “I forgot that peach cream was fifteen cents.”
One o'clock. They lock the door and turn out the little gas jet where smokers137 light up. As the tables empty the chairs are stacked up on top. And if it is a clear warm evening the customers smoke a final weed along the Chestnut Street doorsteps, talking together in a cheery undertone.
No man has ever started upon a new cheque-book without a few sourly solemn thoughts.
In the humble138 waters of finance wherein we paddle we find that a book of fifty cheques lasts us about four months, allowing for two or three duds when we start to make out a foil payable139 to bearer (self) and decide to renounce140 that worthy141 ambition and make it out to the gas company instead.[Pg 260]
It occurs to us that if Bunyan had been writing “Pilgrim's Progress” nowadays instead of making Christian142 encounter lions in the path he would have substituted gas meters, particularly the quarter-in-the-slot kind that one finds in a seaside cottage. However——
Four months is quite a long time. It may be weak of us, but we can never resist wondering as we survey that flock of empty cheques just what adventures our bank account is going to undergo during that period, and whether our customary technique of being aloof143 with the receiving teller144 and genial and commentary with the paying ditto is the right one. We always believe in keeping a paying teller in a cheerful frame of mind. We would never admit to him that we think it is going to rain. We say, rather, “Well, it may blow over,” and try not to surmise51 how many hundreds there are in the pile at his elbow. Probably we think the explanation for the really bizarre architecture of our bank is to keep depositors' attention from the money. Unquestionably Walt Whitman's tomb over in Harleigh—Walt's vault—was copied from our bank.
The cheques in our book are blue. We have always regretted this. If we had known it beforehand perhaps we would have inflicted145 our problems upon another bank. Because there are so many more interesting colours for cheques, tints147 upon which the ink shows up in a more imposing148 manner. A pale pink[Pg 261] or cream-coloured cheque for $2.74 looks much more exciting than a blue cheque for $25. We have known gray, pink, white, brown, green, and salmon-coloured cheques. A friend of ours once showed us one that was a bright orange, but refused to let us handle it. But yellow is the colour that appeals to us most strongly. When we were very young and away from home our monthly allowance, the amount of which we shall not state, but it cost us less effort than any money we ever received since, came to us by way of pale primrose-coloured cheques. For, after all, there are no cheques like those one used to get from one's father. We hope the Urchin149 will think so some day.
We like to pay homage150 to the true artist in all lines. At the corner of Market and Marshall streets—between Sixth and Seventh—the collar-clasp orator151 has his rostrum, and it seems to us that his method of harangue152 has the quality of genuine art. He does not bawl153 or try to terrify or bully135 his audience into purchase as do the auctioneers of the “pawnbrokers' outlets155.” How gently, how winningly, how sweetly he pleads the merits of his little collar clasp! And there is shrewd imagination in his attention-catching device, which is a small boy dressed in black, wearing a white hood70 of cheesecloth that hides his face. This peculiar156 silent figure, with a touch of mystery about it, serves to keep the crowd wondering until the oration134 begins.[Pg 262]
With a smile, with infinite ingratiation and gentle persuasion157, our friend exhibits the merits of his device which does away with the traditional collar-button. His art is to make the collar-button seem a piteous, almost a tragic thing. His eyes swim with unshed tears as he describes the discomfort158 of the man whose collar, fastened by the customary button, cannot be given greater freedom on a hot, muggy159 day. He shows, by exhibition on his own person, the exquisite160 relief afforded by the adjustable161 collar clasp. “When the day grows cool,” he says, “when you begin to enjoy yourself and want your collar tighter, you just loosen the clasp, slide the tabs closer together, and there you are. And no picking at your tie to get the knot undone162. Now, how many of you men have spoiled an expensive tie by picking at it? Your fingers come in contact with the fibres of the silk and the first thing you know the tie is soiled. This little clasp”—and he casts a beam of affection upon it—“saves your tie, it saves your collar, and it saves your patience.” A note of yearning163 pathos164 comes into his agreeable voice, and he holds out a handful of the old-fashioned collar-buttons. “You men are wearing the same buttons[Pg 263] your great-grandfathers wore. Don't you want to get out of collar slavery? Don't you want to quit working your face all out of shape struggling with a collar-button? Now as this is a manufacturing demonstration——”
On a warm evening nothing is more pleasant than a ride on the front platform of the Market Street L, with the front door open. As the train leaves Sixty-ninth Street it dips down the Millbourne bend and the cool, damp smell of the Cobb's Creek165 meadows gushes166 through the car. Then the track straightens out for a long run toward the City Hall. Roaring over the tree tops, with the lights of movies and shops glowing up from below, a warm typhoon makes one lean against it to keep one's footing. The airy stations are lined by girls in light summer dresses, attended by their swains. The groan167 of the wheels underfoot causes a curious tickling168 in the soles of the feet as one stands on the steel platform.
This groan rises to a shrill scream as the train gathers speed between stations, gradually diminishing to a reluctant grumble169 as the cars come to a stop. In the distance, in a peacock-blue sky, the double gleam of the City Hall tower shines against the night. Down on the left is the hiss170 and clang of West Philadelphia station, with the long, dim, amber171 glow of the platform and belated commuters pacing[Pg 264] about. Then the smoky dive across the Schuylkill and the bellow172 of the subway.
From time to time humanity is forced to revise its customary notions in the interests of truth. This is always painful.
It is an old fetich that the week-end in summer is a time for riotous enjoyment173, of goodly cheer and mirthful solace174. A careful examination of human beings during this hebdomadal period of carnival175 leads us to question the doctrine176.
When we watch the horrors of discomfort and vexation endured by simple-hearted citizens in pursuit of a light-hearted Saturday and Sunday, we often wonder how it is that humanity will so gleefully inflict146 upon itself sufferings which, if they were imposed by some taskmaster, would be called atrocious.
We observe, for instance, women and children standing sweltering in the aisles of trains during a two-hour run to the seashore. We observe the number of drownings, motor accidents, murders, and suicides that take place during the Saturday to Monday period. We observe families loaded down with small children, who might have been happy and reasonably cool at home, struggling desperately to get away for a day in the country, rising at 5 a. m., standing in line at the station, fanning themselves with blasphemy177, and weary before they start. We observe them chased home by thunderstorms or colic, dazed and blistered178 with sunburn, or groaning179 with a surfeit180 of ice cream cones181.
It is a lamentable182 fact (and the truth is almost always lamentable, and hotly denied) that for the hard-working majority the week-end is a curse rather than a blessing183. The saddest fact in human annals is that most people are never so happy as when they are hard at work. The time may come when criminals will be condemned184, not to the chair, but to twenty successive week-ends spent standing in the aisles of crowded excursion trains.
Strolling downtown to a well-known home of fish dinners, it is appetizing to pass along the curve of Dock Street in the coolness of the evening. The clean, lively odours of vegetables and fruit are strong on the air. Under the broad awnings185 of the com[Pg 266]mission merchants and produce dealers186 the stock is piled up in neat and engaging piles ready to be carted away at dawn. Under the glow of pale arcs and gas lamps the colours of the scene are vivid. Great baskets of eggplant shine like huge grapes, a polished port wine colour; green and scarlet peppers catch points of light; a flat pinkish colour gleams on carrots. Each species seems to have an ordered pattern of its own. Potatoes are ranged in a pyramid; watermelons in long rows; white and yellow onions are heaped in sacks. The sweet musk187 of cantaloupes is the scent188 that overbreathes all others. Then, down nearer to the waterfront, comes the strong, damp fishy189 whiff of oysters190. To stroll among these gleaming piles of victuals192, to watch the various colours where the lamps pour a pale silver and yellow on cairns and pyramids of vegetables, is to gather a lusty appetite and attack the first oyster191 stew193 of the season with a stout194 heart.[Pg 267]
It being a very humid day, we stopped to compliment the curly-headed sandwich man at Ninth and Market on his décolleté corsage, which he wears in the Walt Whitman manner. “Wish we could get away with it the way you do,” we said, admiringly. He looked at us with the patience of one inured196 to bourgeois197 comment. “It's got to be tried,” said he, “like everything else.”
We stopped by the Weather Man's little illuminated198 booth at Ninth and Chestnut about 10 o'clock in the evening. We were scrutinizing199 his pretty coloured pictures, wondering how soon the rain would determine, when a slender young man appeared out of the gloom, said “I'm sorry to have to do this,” switched off the light, and pulled down the rolling front of the booth. It was the Weather Man himself.
We were greatly elated to meet this mythical200 sage195 and walked down the street a little way with him. In order to cheer him up, we complimented him on the artistic201 charm of his little booth, with its glow of golden light shining on the coloured map and the bright loops and curves of crayon. We told him how almost at any time in the evening groups of people can be seen admiring his stall, but his sensitive heart was gloomy.
“Most of them don't understand it,” he said, morosely202. “The women are the worst. I've gone[Pg 268] there in the evening and found them studying the map eagerly. Hopefully, I would creep up behind to hear their comments. One will say, 'Yes, that's where my husband came from,' or 'I spent last summer over there,' pointing to some place on the map. They seem to think it's put there for them to study geography.”
We tried to sympathize with the broken-hearted scientist, but his spirit had been crushed by a long series of woes.
“The other evening,” said he, “I saw a couple of girls gazing at the map, and they looked so intelligent I really was charmed. Apparently203 they were discussing an area of low pressure that was moving down from the Great Lakes, and I lent an ear. Imagine my chagrin204 when one of them said: 'You see the colour of that chalk line? I'm going to make my next knitted vestee just like that.' And the other one said: 'I think the whole colour scheme is adorable. I'm going to use it as a pattern for my new camouflage205 bathing-suit.'
“Thank goodness,” cried the miserable206 Weather Man: “I have another map like that down at the Bourse, and the brokers154 really give it some intelligent attention.”
We went on our way sadly, thinking how many sorrows there are in the world. It is grievous to think of the poor Weather Man, lurking207 with beating pulses in the neighbourhood of Ninth and Chestnut[Pg 269] in the hope of finding someone who understands his painstaking208 display. The next time you are standing in front of his booth do say something about the Oceanic High in the South Atlantic or the dangerous Aleutian Low or the anticyclonic condition prevailing209 in the Alleghenies. He might overhear you, and it would do his mournful heart good.
It was eight o'clock, a cool drizzling210 night. Chestnut Street was gray with a dull, pearly, opaque211 twilight. In the little portico212 east of Independence Hall the gas lamp under the ceiling cast a soft pink glow on the brick columns.
Independence Square was a sea of tremulous, dripping boughs213. The quaint214 heptahedral lamps threw splashed shimmers215 of topaz colour across the laky pavement. “Golden lamps in a green night,” as Marvell says, twinkled through the stir and moisture of the evening.[Pg 270]
One of the characters in “The Moon and Sixpence” remarked that he had faithfully lived up to the old precept216 about doing every day two things you heartily217 dislike; for, said he, every day he had got up and he had gone to bed.
It is a sad thing that as soon as the hands of the clock have turned ten the shadow of going to bed begins to creep over the evening. We have never heard bedtime spoken of with any enthusiasm. One after another we have seen a gathering218 disperse219, each person saying (with an air of solemn resignation): “Well, I guess I'll go to bed.” But there was no hilarity220 about it. It is really rather touching221 how they cling to the departing skirts of the day that is vanishing under the spinning shadow of night.
This is odd, we repeat, for sleep is highly popular among human beings. The reluctance222 to go to one's couch is not at all a reluctance to slumber, for almost all of us will doze109 happily in an armchair or on a sofa, or even festooned on the floor with a couple of cushions. But the actual and formal yielding to sheets and blankets is to be postponed223 to the last possible moment.[Pg 271]
The devil of drowsiness224 is at his most potent225, we find, about 10:30 p. m. At this period the human carcass seems to consider that it has finished its cycle, which began with so much courage nearly sixteen hours before. It begins to slack and the mind halts on a dead centre every now and then, refusing to complete the revolution. Now there are those who hold that this is certainly the seemly and appointed time to go to bed and they do so as a matter of routine. These are, commonly, the happier creatures, for they take the tide of sleep at the flood and are borne calmly and with gracious gentleness out to great waters of nothingness. They push off from the wharf226 on a tranquil227 current and nothing more is to be seen or heard of these voyagers until they reappear at the breakfast table, digging lustily into their grape fruit.
These people are happy, aye, in a brutish and sedentary fashion, but they miss the admirable adventures of those more embittered228 wrestlers who will not give in without a struggle. These latter suffer severe pangs229 between 10:30 and about 11:15 while they grapple with their fading faculties230 and seek to re?stablish the will on its tottering231 throne. This requires courage stout, valour unbending. Once you yield, be it ever so little, to the tempter, you are lost. And here our poor barren clay plays us false, undermining the intellect with many a trick and wile232. “I will sit down for a season in that com[Pg 272]fortable chair,” the creature says to himself, “and read this sprightly233 novel. That will ease my mind and put me in humour for a continuance of lively thinking.” And the end of that man is a steady nasal buzz from the bottom of the chair where he has collapsed234, an unsightly object and a disgrace to humanity. This also means a big bill from the electric light company at the end of the month. In many such ways will his corpus bewray him, leading him by plausible235 self-deceptions into a pitfall236 of sleep, whence he is aroused about 3 a. m. when the planet turns over on the other side. Only by stiff perseverance237 and rigid238 avoidance of easy chairs may the critical hour between 10:30 and 11:30 be safely passed. Tobacco, a self-brewed pot of tea, and a browsing239 along bookshelves (remain standing and do not sit down with your book) are helps in this time of struggle. Even so, there are some happily drowsy240 souls who can never cross these shallows alone without grounding on the Lotus Reefs. Our friend J—— D—— K——, magnificent creature, was (when we lived with him) so potently241 hypnoidal that, even erect242 and determined as his bookcase and urgently bent243 upon Brann's Iconoclast244 or some other literary irritant, sleep would seep245 through his pores and he would fall with a crash, lying there in unconscious bliss until someone came in and prodded246 him up, reeling and ashamed.
But, as we started to say, those who survive this[Pg 273] drastic weeding out which Night imposes upon her wooers—so as to cull247 and choose only the truly meritorious248 lovers—experience supreme249 delights which are unknown to their snoring fellows. When the struggle with somnolence250 has been fought out and won, when the world is all-covering darkness and close-pressing silence, when the tobacco suddenly takes on fresh vigour251 and fragrance252 and the books lie strewn about the table, then it seems as though all the rubbish and floating matter of the day's thoughts have poured away and only the bright, clear, and swift current of the mind itself remains253, flowing happily and without impediment. This perfection of existence is not to be reached very often; but when properly approached it may be won. It is a different mind that one uncovers then, a spirit which is lucid254 and hopeful, to which (for a few serene hours) time exists not. The friable255 resolutions of the day are brought out again and recemented and chiselled256 anew. Surprising schemes are started and carried through to happy conclusion, lifetimes of amazement257 are lived in a few passing ticks. There is one who at such moments resolves, with complete sincerity258, to start at one end of the top shelf and read again all the books in his library, intending this time really to extract their true marrow259. He takes a clean sheet of paper and sets down memoranda of all the people he intends to write to, and all the plumbers260 and what not that he will call up the next[Pg 274] day. And the next time this happy seizure261 attacks him he will go through the same gestures again without surprise and without the slightest mortification262. And then, having lived a generation of good works since midnight struck, he summons all his resolution and goes to bed.
The End
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
persuasive
|
|
| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
discourse
|
|
| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
appreciation
|
|
| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
benign
|
|
| adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
hustling
|
|
| 催促（hustle的现在分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
tribulation
|
|
| n.苦难，灾难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
demure
|
|
| adj.严肃的；端庄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
bustling
|
|
| adj.喧闹的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
philosophical
|
|
| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
philosophically
|
|
| adv.哲学上；富有哲理性地；贤明地；冷静地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
sloth
|
|
| n.[动]树懒；懒惰，懒散 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
meek
|
|
| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
ferment
|
|
| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
hubbub
|
|
| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
assuage
|
|
| v.缓和，减轻，镇定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
dignified
|
|
| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
repose
|
|
| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
reposeful
|
|
| adj.平稳的，沉着的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
23
bliss
|
|
| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
brutal
|
|
| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
pals
|
|
| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
minor
|
|
| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
pester
|
|
| v.纠缠，强求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
secluded
|
|
| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
caress
|
|
| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
disillusioned
|
|
| a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
delightful
|
|
| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
bumptious
|
|
| adj.傲慢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
extraordinarily
|
|
| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
jotted
|
|
| v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
jot
|
|
| n.少量；vi.草草记下；vt.匆匆写下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
memoranda
|
|
| n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
immortal
|
|
| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
behold
|
|
| v.看，注视，看到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
relic
|
|
| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
memorable
|
|
| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
tragic
|
|
| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
buck
|
|
| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
momentous
|
|
| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
genial
|
|
| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
severely
|
|
| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
delightfully
|
|
| 大喜，欣然 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
freshman
|
|
| n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
scrutinize
|
|
| n.详细检查，细读 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
surmised
|
|
| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
surmise
|
|
| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
royalty
|
|
| n.皇家，皇族 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
wrestled
|
|
| v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
gist
|
|
| n.要旨；梗概 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
abbreviated
|
|
| adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
utterance
|
|
| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
widower
|
|
| n.鳏夫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
laboriously
|
|
| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
scribbled
|
|
| v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
industriously
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
briefly
|
|
| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
abbreviating
|
|
| 使简短( abbreviate的现在分词 )； 缩简； 缩略； 使用缩写词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
discriminate
|
|
| v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
persiflage
|
|
| n.戏弄；挖苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
cub
|
|
| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
liking
|
|
| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
legitimacy
|
|
| n.合法，正当 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
hood
|
|
| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
chestnut
|
|
| n.栗树，栗子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
chestnuts
|
|
| n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
gale
|
|
| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
serene
|
|
| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
hush
|
|
| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
aisles
|
|
| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
alley
|
|
| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
eloquent
|
|
| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
flute
|
|
| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
tantalizing
|
|
| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
wayfarer
|
|
| n.旅人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
conjecture
|
|
| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
brewer
|
|
| n. 啤酒制造者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
grassy
|
|
| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
cinder
|
|
| n.余烬，矿渣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
rumbled
|
|
| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
shaft
|
|
| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
throbbing
|
|
| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
squeak
|
|
| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
squeaks
|
|
| n.短促的尖叫声，吱吱声( squeak的名词复数 )v.短促地尖叫( squeak的第三人称单数 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
pedestrians
|
|
| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
plodding
|
|
| a.proceeding in a slow or dull way | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
cower
|
|
| v.畏缩，退缩，抖缩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
envelops
|
|
| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
leisurely
|
|
| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
squad
|
|
| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
sewer
|
|
| n.排水沟，下水道 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
irony
|
|
| n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
depressed
|
|
| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
enthusiasts
|
|
| n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
ginger
|
|
| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
chauffeur
|
|
| n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
Prohibitionist
|
|
| 禁酒主义者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
109
doze
|
|
| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
mused
|
|
| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
contradictory
|
|
| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
volatile
|
|
| adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
reticence
|
|
| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
slumber
|
|
| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
riotous
|
|
| adj.骚乱的；狂欢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
chuckles
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
positively
|
|
| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
refreshing
|
|
| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
walnut
|
|
| n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
virtue
|
|
| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
warehouse
|
|
| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
aromatic
|
|
| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
wafted
|
|
| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
woes
|
|
| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
meditative
|
|
| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
ecstasy
|
|
| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
immured
|
|
| v.禁闭，监禁( immure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
salute
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
rations
|
|
| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
calamities
|
|
| n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
serenity
|
|
| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
applied
|
|
| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
engraving
|
|
| n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
oration
|
|
| n.演说，致辞，叙述法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
bully
|
|
| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
bullying
|
|
| v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
smokers
|
|
| 吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
humble
|
|
| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
payable
|
|
| adj.可付的，应付的，有利益的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
renounce
|
|
| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
worthy
|
|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
Christian
|
|
| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
aloof
|
|
| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
teller
|
|
| n.银行出纳员；(选举)计票员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
inflicted
|
|
| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
inflict
|
|
| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
tints
|
|
| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
imposing
|
|
| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
urchin
|
|
| n.顽童；海胆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
homage
|
|
| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
orator
|
|
| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
harangue
|
|
| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
bawl
|
|
| v.大喊大叫，大声地喊，咆哮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
brokers
|
|
| n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排… | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
outlets
|
|
| n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
peculiar
|
|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
persuasion
|
|
| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
discomfort
|
|
| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
muggy
|
|
| adj.闷热的；adv.（天气）闷热而潮湿地；n.（天气）闷热而潮湿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
adjustable
|
|
| adj.可调整的，可校准的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
undone
|
|
| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
yearning
|
|
| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
pathos
|
|
| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
creek
|
|
| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
gushes
|
|
| n.涌出，迸发( gush的名词复数 )v.喷，涌( gush的第三人称单数 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
groan
|
|
| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
tickling
|
|
| 反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
grumble
|
|
| vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
hiss
|
|
| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
amber
|
|
| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
bellow
|
|
| v.吼叫，怒吼；大声发出，大声喝道 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
enjoyment
|
|
| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
solace
|
|
| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
carnival
|
|
| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
doctrine
|
|
| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
blasphemy
|
|
| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
blistered
|
|
| adj.水疮状的，泡状的v.（使）起水泡( blister的过去式和过去分词 )；（使表皮等）涨破，爆裂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
groaning
|
|
| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
surfeit
|
|
| v.使饮食过度；n.(食物)过量，过度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
cones
|
|
| n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
lamentable
|
|
| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
blessing
|
|
| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
condemned
|
|
| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
awnings
|
|
| 篷帐布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
dealers
|
|
| n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
musk
|
|
| n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
fishy
|
|
| adj. 值得怀疑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
oysters
|
|
| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
oyster
|
|
| n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
victuals
|
|
| n.食物；食品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
stew
|
|
| n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
sage
|
|
| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
inured
|
|
| adj.坚强的，习惯的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
bourgeois
|
|
| adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
illuminated
|
|
| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
scrutinizing
|
|
| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
mythical
|
|
| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
artistic
|
|
| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
morosely
|
|
| adv.愁眉苦脸地，忧郁地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
chagrin
|
|
| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
camouflage
|
|
| n./v.掩饰，伪装 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
207
lurking
|
|
| 潜在 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
208
painstaking
|
|
| adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
209
prevailing
|
|
| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
210
drizzling
|
|
| 下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
211
opaque
|
|
| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
212
portico
|
|
| n.柱廊，门廊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
213
boughs
|
|
| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
214
quaint
|
|
| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
215
shimmers
|
|
| n.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的名词复数 )v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
216
precept
|
|
| n.戒律；格言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
217
heartily
|
|
| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
218
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
219
disperse
|
|
| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
220
hilarity
|
|
| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
221
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
222
reluctance
|
|
| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
223
postponed
|
|
| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
224
drowsiness
|
|
| n.睡意；嗜睡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
225
potent
|
|
| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
226
wharf
|
|
| n.码头，停泊处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
227
tranquil
|
|
| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
228
embittered
|
|
| v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
229
pangs
|
|
| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
230
faculties
|
|
| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
231
tottering
|
|
| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
232
wile
|
|
| v.诡计，引诱；n.欺骗，欺诈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
233
sprightly
|
|
| adj.愉快的，活泼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
234
collapsed
|
|
| adj.倒塌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
235
plausible
|
|
| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
236
pitfall
|
|
| n.隐患，易犯的错误；陷阱，圈套 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
237
perseverance
|
|
| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
238
rigid
|
|
| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
239
browsing
|
|
| v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
240
drowsy
|
|
| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
241
potently
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
242
erect
|
|
| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
243
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
244
iconoclast
|
|
| n.反对崇拜偶像者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
245
seep
|
|
| v.渗出，渗漏；n.渗漏，小泉，水（油）坑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
246
prodded
|
|
| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
247
cull
|
|
| v.拣选；剔除；n.拣出的东西；剔除 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
248
meritorious
|
|
| adj.值得赞赏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
249
supreme
|
|
| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
250
somnolence
|
|
| n.想睡，梦幻；欲寐；嗜睡；嗜眠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
251
vigour
|
|
| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
252
fragrance
|
|
| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
253
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
254
lucid
|
|
| adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
255
friable
|
|
| adj.易碎的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
256
chiselled
|
|
| adj.凿过的，凿光的； （文章等）精心雕琢的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
257
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
258
sincerity
|
|
| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
259
marrow
|
|
| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
260
plumbers
|
|
| n.管子工，水暖工( plumber的名词复数 )；[美][口]（防止泄密的）堵漏人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
261
seizure
|
|
| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
262
mortification
|
|
| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |