Then Peter moved on to the Temple of Jimjambo, and there a devastating8 experience befell him—he tumbled head over heels and agonizingly in love. There was a chambermaid in the institution, a radiant creature from the Emerald Isles9 with hair like sunrise and cheeks like apples, and a laugh that shook the dish-pans on the kitchen walls. She laughed at Peter, she laughed at the major-domo, she laughed at all the men in the place who tried to catch her round the waist. Once or twice a month perhaps she would let them succeed, just to keep them interested, and to keep herself in practice.
The only one she really favored was the laundry deliveryman, and Peter soon realized why. This laundry fellow had the use of an automobile10 on Sundays, and Nell would dress herself up to kill, and roll away in state with him. He would spend all his week’s earnings11 entertaining her at the beach; Peter knew, because she would tell the whole establishment on Monday morning. “Gee, but I had a swell12 time!” she would say; and would count the ice-creams and the merry-go-rounds and the whirly-gigs and all the whang-doodle things. She would tell about the tattooed13 men and the five-legged calf14 and the woman who was half man, and all the while she would make the dishpans rattle15.
Yes, she was a marvelous creature, and Peter suddenly realized that his ultimate desire in life was to possess a “swell lady-friend” like Nell. He realized that there was one essential prerequisite16, and that was money. None of them would look at you without money. Nell had gone out with him only once, and that was upon the savings17 of six months, and Peter had not been able to conceal18 the effort it cost him to spend it all. So he had been set down as a “tight-wad,” and had made no headway.
Nell had disappeared, along with everybody else when the police raided the Temple. Peter never knew what had become of her, but the old longings19 still haunted him, and he would find himself imagining—suppose the police had got her; suppose she were in jail, and he with his new “pull” were able to get her out, and carry her away and keep her hid from the laundry man!
These were dreams; but meantime here was reality, here was a new world. Peter had settled down in the home of the Todd sisters; and what was their attitude toward these awful mysteries of love?

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收听单词发音

1
realizations
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认识,领会( realization的名词复数 ); 实现 | |
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2
orphan
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n.孤儿;adj.无父母的 | |
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3
asylum
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n.避难所,庇护所,避难 | |
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4
recipient
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a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器 | |
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5
tormented
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饱受折磨的 | |
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6
frail
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adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的 | |
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7
crooked
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adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
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8
devastating
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adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的 | |
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9
isles
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岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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10
automobile
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n.汽车,机动车 | |
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11
earnings
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n.工资收人;利润,利益,所得 | |
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12
swell
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vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强 | |
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13
tattooed
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v.刺青,文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 );连续有节奏地敲击;作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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14
calf
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n.小牛,犊,幼仔,小牛皮 | |
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15
rattle
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v.飞奔,碰响;激怒;n.碰撞声;拨浪鼓 | |
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16
prerequisite
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n.先决条件;adj.作为前提的,必备的 | |
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17
savings
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n.存款,储蓄 | |
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18
conceal
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v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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19
longings
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渴望,盼望( longing的名词复数 ) | |
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