The change was manifested in different ways, according to each nature. Margaret was sad. Doctor Winchester was in high spirits, and keenly observant; the process of thought which had served as an antidote4 to fear, being now relieved from this duty, added to his intellectual enthusiasm. Mr. Corbeck seemed to be in a retrospective rather than a speculative5 mood. I was myself rather inclined to be gay; the relief from certain anxiety regarding Margaret was sufficient for me for the time.
As to Mr. Trelawny he seemed less changed than any. Perhaps this was only natural, as he had had in his mind the intention for so many years of doing that in which we were tonight engaged, that any event connected with it could only seem to him as an episode, a step to the end. His was that commanding nature which looks so to the end of an undertaking6 that all else is of secondary importance. Even now, though his terrible sternness relaxed under the relief from the strain, he never flagged nor faltered7 for a moment in his purpose. He asked us men to come with him; and going to the hall we presently managed to lower into the cave an oak table, fairly long and not too wide, which stood against the wall in the hall. This we placed under the strong cluster of electric lights in the middle of the cave. Margaret looked on for a while; then all at once her face blanched8, and in an agitated9 voice she said:
"What are you going to do, Father?"
"To unroll the mummy of the cat! Queen Tera will not need her Familiar tonight. If she should want him, it might be dangerous to us; so we shall make him safe. You are not alarmed, dear?"
"Oh no!" she answered quickly. "But I was thinking of my Silvio, and how I should feel if he had been the mummy that was to be unswathed!"
Mr. Trelawny got knives and scissors ready, and placed the cat on the table. It was a grim beginning to our work; and it made my heart sink when I thought of what might happen in that lonely house in the mid-gloom of the night. The sense of loneliness and isolation10 from the world was increased by the moaning of the wind which had now risen ominously12, and by the beating of waves on the rocks below. But we had too grave a task before us to be swayed by external manifestations13: the unrolling of the mummy began.
There was an incredible number of bandages; and the tearing sound—they being stuck fast to each other by bitumen14 and gums and spices—and the little cloud of red pungent15 dust that arose, pressed on the senses of all of us. As the last wrappings came away, we saw the animal seated before us. He was all hunkered up; his hair and teeth and claws were complete. The eyes were closed, but the eyelids16 had not the fierce look which I expected. The whiskers had been pressed down on the side of the face by the bandaging; but when the pressure was taken away they stood out, just as they would have done in life. He was a magnificent creature, a tiger-cat of great size. But as we looked at him, our first glance of admiration17 changed to one of fear, and a shudder18 ran through each one of us; for here was a confirmation19 of the fears which we had endured.
Doctor Winchester was the first to recover; blood in itself had small disturbing quality for him. He had taken out his magnifying-glass and was examining the stains on the cat's mouth. Mr. Trelawny breathed loudly, as though a strain had been taken from him.
"It is as I expected," he said. "This promises well for what is to follow."
By this time Doctor Winchester was looking at the red stained paws. "As I expected!" he said. "He has seven claws, too!" Opening his pocket-book, he took out the piece of blotting-paper marked by Silvio's claws, on which was also marked in pencil a diagram of the cuts made on Mr. Trelawny's wrist. He placed the paper under the mummy cat's paw. The marks fitted exactly.
When we had carefully examined the cat, finding, however, nothing strange about it but its wonderful preservation22, Mr. Trelawny lifted it from the table. Margaret started forward, crying out:
"Take care, Father! Take care! He may injure you!"
"Not now, my dear!" he answered as he moved towards the stairway. Her face fell. "Where are you going?" she asked in a faint voice.
"To the kitchen," he answered. "Fire will take away all danger for the future; even an astral body cannot materialise from ashes!" He signed to us to follow him. Margaret turned away with a sob23. I went to her; but she motioned me back and whispered:
"No, no! Go with the others. Father may want you. Oh! it seems like murder! The poor Queen's pet...!" The tears were dropping from under the fingers that covered her eyes.
In the kitchen was a fire of wood ready laid. To this Mr. Trelawny applied24 a match; in a few seconds the kindling25 had caught and the flames leaped. When the fire was solidly ablaze26, he threw the body of the cat into it. For a few seconds it lay a dark mass amidst the flames, and the room was rank with the smell of burning hair. Then the dry body caught fire too. The inflammable substances used in embalming27 became new fuel, and the flames roared. A few minutes of fierce conflagration28; and then we breathed freely. Queen Tera's Familiar was no more!
When we went back to the cave we found Margaret sitting in the dark. She had switched off the electric light, and only a faint glow of the evening light came through the narrow openings. Her father went quickly over to her and put his arms round her in a loving protective way. She laid her head on his shoulder for a minute and seemed comforted. Presently she called to me:
"Malcolm, turn up the light!" I carried out her orders, and could see that, though she had been crying, her eyes were now dry. Her father saw it too and looked glad. He said to us in a grave tone:
"Now we had better prepare for our great work. It will not do to leave anything to the last!" Margaret must have had a suspicion of what was coming, for it was with a sinking voice that she asked:
"What are you going to do now?" Mr. Trelawny too must have had a suspicion of her feelings, for he answered in a low tone:
"To unroll the mummy of Queen Tera!" She came close to him and said pleadingly in a whisper:
"Father, you are not going to unswathe her! All you men...! And in the glare of light!"
"But why not, my dear?"
"Just think, Father, a woman! All alone! In such a way! In such a place! Oh! it's cruel, cruel!" She was manifestly much overcome. Her cheeks were flaming red, and her eyes were full of indignant tears. Her father saw her distress29; and, sympathising with it, began to comfort her. I was moving off; but he signed to me to stay. I took it that after the usual manner of men he wanted help on such an occasion, and man-like wished to throw on someone else the task of dealing30 with a woman in indignant distress. However, he began to appeal first to her reason:
"Not a woman, dear; a mummy! She has been dead nearly five thousand years!"
"What does that matter? Sex is not a matter of years! A woman is a woman, if she had been dead five thousand centuries! And you expect her to arise out of that long sleep! It could not be real death, if she is to rise out of it! You have led me to believe that she will come alive when the Coffer is opened!"
"I did, my dear; and I believe it! But if it isn't death that has been the matter with her all these years, it is something uncommonly31 like it. Then again, just think; it was men who embalmed32 her. They didn't have women's rights or lady doctors in ancient Egypt, my dear! And besides," he went on more freely, seeing that she was accepting his argument, if not yielding to it, "we men are accustomed to such things. Corbeck and I have unrolled a hundred mummies; and there were as many women as men amongst them. Doctor Winchester in his work has had to deal with women as well of men, till custom has made him think nothing of sex. Even Ross has in his work as a barrister..." He stopped suddenly.
"You were going to help too!" she said to me, with an indignant look.
I said nothing; I thought silence was best. Mr. Trelawny went on hurriedly; I could see that he was glad of interruption, for the part of his argument concerning a barrister's work was becoming decidedly weak:
"My child, you will be with us yourself. Would we do anything which would hurt or offend you? Come now! be reasonable! We are not at a pleasure party. We are all grave men, entering gravely on an experiment which may unfold the wisdom of old times, and enlarge human knowledge indefinitely; which may put the minds of men on new tracks of thought and research. An experiment," as he went on his voice deepened, "which may be fraught34 with death to any one of us—to us all! We know from what has been, that there are, or may be, vast and unknown dangers ahead of us, of which none in the house today may ever see the end. Take it, my child, that we are not acting35 lightly; but with all the gravity of deeply earnest men! Besides, my dear, whatever feelings you or any of us may have on the subject, it is necessary for the success of the experiment to unswathe her. I think that under any circumstances it would be necessary to remove the wrappings before she became again a live human being instead of a spiritualised corpse36 with an astral body. Were her original intention carried out, and did she come to new life within her mummy wrappings, it might be to exchange a coffin37 for a grave! She would die the death of the buried alive! But now, when she has voluntarily abandoned for the time her astral power, there can be no doubt on the subject."
Margaret's face cleared. "All right, Father!" she said as she kissed him. "But oh! it seems a horrible indignity38 to a Queen, and a woman."
I was moving away to the staircase when she called me:
"Where are you going?" I came back and took her hand and stroked it as I answered:
"I shall come back when the unrolling is over!" She looked at me long, and a faint suggestion of a smile came over her face as she said:
"Perhaps you had better stay, too! It may be useful to you in your work as a barrister!" She smiled out as she met my eyes: but in an instant she changed. Her face grew grave, and deadly white. In a far away voice she said:
"Father is right! It is a terrible occasion; we need all to be serious over it. But all the same—nay, for that very reason you had better stay, Malcolm! You may be glad, later on, that you were present tonight!"
My heart sank down, down, at her words; but I thought it better to say nothing. Fear was stalking openly enough amongst us already!
By this time Mr. Trelawny, assisted by Mr. Corbeck and Doctor Winchester, had raised the lid of the ironstone sarcophagus which contained the mummy of the Queen. It was a large one; but it was none too big. The mummy was both long and broad and high; and was of such weight that it was no easy task, even for the four of us, to lift it out. Under Mr. Trelawny's direction we laid it out on the table prepared for it.
Then, and then only, did the full horror of the whole thing burst upon me! There, in the full glare of the light, the whole material and sordid39 side of death seemed staringly real. The outer wrappings, torn and loosened by rude touch, and with the colour either darkened by dust or worn light by friction40, seemed creased11 as by rough treatment; the jagged edges of the wrapping-cloths looked fringed; the painting was patchy, and the varnish41 chipped. The coverings were evidently many, for the bulk was great. But through all, showed that unhidable human figure, which seems to look more horrible when partially42 concealed43 than at any other time. What was before us was Death, and nothing else. All the romance and sentiment of fancy had disappeared. The two elder men, enthusiasts44 who had often done such work, were not disconcerted; and Doctor Winchester seemed to hold himself in a business-like attitude, as if before the operating-table. But I felt low-spirited, and miserable45, and ashamed; and besides I was pained and alarmed by Margaret's ghastly pallor.
Then the work began. The unrolling of the mummy cat had prepared me somewhat for it; but this was so much larger, and so infinitely46 more elaborate, that it seemed a different thing. Moreover, in addition to the ever present sense of death and humanity, there was a feeling of something finer in all this. The cat had been embalmed with coarser materials; here, all, when once the outer coverings were removed, was more delicately done. It seemed as if only the finest gums and spices had been used in this embalming. But there were the same surroundings, the same attendant red dust and pungent presence of bitumen; there was the same sound of rending47 which marked the tearing away of the bandages. There were an enormous number of these, and their bulk when opened was great. As the men unrolled them, I grew more and more excited. I did not take a part in it myself; Margaret had looked at me gratefully as I drew back. We clasped hands, and held each other hard. As the unrolling went on, the wrappings became finer, and the smell less laden48 with bitumen, but more pungent. We all, I think, began to feel it as though it caught or touched us in some special way. This, however, did not interfere49 with the work; it went on uninterruptedly. Some of the inner wrappings bore symbols or pictures. These were done sometimes wholly in pale green colour, sometimes in many colours; but always with a prevalence of green. Now and again Mr. Trelawny or Mr. Corbeck would point out some special drawing before laying the bandage on the pile behind them, which kept growing to a monstrous50 height.
At last we knew that the wrappings were coming to an end. Already the proportions were reduced to those of a normal figure of the manifest height of the Queen, who was more than average height. And as the end drew nearer, so Margaret's pallor grew; and her heart beat more and more wildly, till her breast heaved in a way that frightened me.
Just as her father was taking away the last of the bandages, he happened to look up and caught the pained and anxious look of her pale face. He paused, and taking her concern to be as to the outrage51 on modesty52, said in a comforting way:
"Do not be uneasy, dear! See! there is nothing to harm you. The Queen has on a robe.—Ay, and a royal robe, too!"
The wrapping was a wide piece the whole length of the body. It being removed, a profusely53 full robe of white linen54 had appeared, covering the body from the throat to the feet.
Margaret lost her concern, in her woman's interest in fine stuff. Then the rest of us looked with admiration; for surely such linen was never seen by the eyes of our age. It was as fine as the finest silk. But never was spun56 or woven silk which lay in such gracious folds, constrict57 though they were by the close wrappings of the mummy cloth, and fixed58 into hardness by the passing of thousands of years.
Round the neck it was delicately embroidered59 in pure gold with tiny sprays of sycamore; and round the feet, similarly worked, was an endless line of lotus plants of unequal height, and with all the graceful60 abandon of natural growth.
Across the body, but manifestly not surrounding it, was a girdle of jewels. A wondrous61 girdle, which shone and glowed with all the forms and phases and colours of the sky!
The buckle62 was a great yellow stone, round of outline, deep and curved, as if a yielding globe had been pressed down. It shone and glowed, as though a veritable sun lay within; the rays of its light seemed to strike out and illumine all round. Flanking it were two great moonstones of lesser63 size, whose glowing, beside the glory of the sunstone, was like the silvery sheen of moonlight.
And then on either side, linked by golden clasps of exquisite64 shape, was a line of flaming jewels, of which the colours seemed to glow. Each of these stones seemed to hold a living star, which twinkled in every phase of changing light.
Margaret raised her hands in ecstasy65. She bent over to examine more closely; but suddenly drew back and stood fully21 erect66 at her grand height. She seemed to speak with the conviction of absolute knowledge as she said:
"That is no cerement! It was not meant for the clothing of death! It is a marriage robe!"
Mr. Trelawny leaned over and touched the linen robe. He lifted a fold at the neck, and I knew from the quick intake67 of his breath that something had surprised him. He lifted yet a little more; and then he, too, stood back and pointed68, saying:
"Margaret is right! That dress is not intended to be worn by the dead! See! her figure is not robed in it. It is but laid upon her." He lifted the zone of jewels and handed it to Margaret. Then with both hands he raised the ample robe, and laid it across the arms which she extended in a natural impulse. Things of such beauty were too precious to be handled with any but the greatest care.
We all stood awed69 at the beauty of the figure which, save for the face cloth, now lay completely nude70 before us. Mr. Trelawny bent over, and with hands that trembled slightly, raised this linen cloth which was of the same fineness as the robe. As he stood back and the whole glorious beauty of the Queen was revealed, I felt a rush of shame sweep over me. It was not right that we should be there, gazing with irreverent eyes on such unclad beauty: it was indecent; it was almost sacrilegious! And yet the white wonder of that beautiful form was something to dream of. It was not like death at all; it was like a statue carven in ivory by the hand of a Praxiteles. There was nothing of that horrible shrinkage which death seems to effect in a moment. There was none of the wrinkled toughness which seems to be a leading characteristic of most mummies. There was not the shrunken attenuation71 of a body dried in the sand, as I had seen before in museums. All the pores of the body seemed to have been preserved in some wonderful way. The flesh was full and round, as in a living person; and the skin was as smooth as satin. The colour seemed extraordinary. It was like ivory, new ivory; except where the right arm, with shattered, bloodstained wrist and missing hand had lain bare to exposure in the sarcophagus for so many tens of centuries.
With a womanly impulse; with a mouth that drooped72 with pity, with eyes that flashed with anger, and cheeks that flamed, Margaret threw over the body the beautiful robe which lay across her arm. Only the face was then to be seen. This was more startling even than the body, for it seemed not dead, but alive. The eyelids were closed; but the long, black, curling lashes73 lay over on the cheeks. The nostrils74, set in grave pride, seemed to have the repose75 which, when it is seen in life, is greater than the repose of death. The full, red lips, though the mouth was not open, showed the tiniest white line of pearly teeth within. Her hair, glorious in quantity and glossy76 black as the raven's wing, was piled in great masses over the white forehead, on which a few curling tresses strayed like tendrils. I was amazed at the likeness77 to Margaret, though I had had my mind prepared for this by Mr. Corbeck's quotation78 of her father's statement. This woman—I could not think of her as a mummy or a corpse—was the image of Margaret as my eyes had first lit on her. The likeness was increased by the jewelled ornament79 which she wore in her hair, the "Disk and Plumes80", such as Margaret, too, had worn. It, too, was a glorious jewel; one noble pearl of moonlight lustre81, flanked by carven pieces of moonstone.
Mr. Trelawny was overcome as he looked. He quite broke down; and when Margaret flew to him and held him close in her arms and comforted him, I heard him murmur82 brokenly:
"It looks as if you were dead, my child!"
There was a long silence. I could hear without the roar of the wind, which was now risen to a tempest, and the furious dashing of the waves far below. Mr. Trelawny's voice broke the spell:
"Later on we must try and find out the process of embalming. It is not like any that I know. There does not seem to have been any opening cut for the withdrawing of the viscera and organs, which apparently83 remain intact within the body. Then, again, there is no moisture in the flesh; but its place is supplied with something else, as though wax or stearine had been conveyed into the veins84 by some subtle process. I wonder could it be possible that at that time they could have used paraffin. It might have been, by some process that we know not, pumped into the veins, where it hardened!"
Margaret, having thrown a white sheet over the Queen's body, asked us to bring it to her own room, where we laid it on her bed. Then she sent us away, saying:
"Leave her alone with me. There are still many hours to pass, and I do not like to leave her lying there, all stark85 in the glare of light. This may be the Bridal she prepared for—the Bridal of Death; and at least she shall wear her pretty robes."
When presently she brought me back to her room, the dead Queen was dressed in the robe of fine linen with the embroidery86 of gold; and all her beautiful jewels were in place. Candles were lit around her, and white flowers lay upon her breast.
Hand in hand we stood looking at her for a while. Then with a sigh, Margaret covered her with one of her own snowy sheets. She turned away; and after softly closing the door of the room, went back with me to the others who had now come into the dining room. Here we all began to talk over the things that had been, and that were to be.
Now and again I could feel that one or other of us was forcing conversation, as if we were not sure of ourselves. The long wait was beginning to tell on our nerves. It was apparent to me that Mr. Trelawny had suffered in that strange trance more than we suspected, or than he cared to show. True, his will and his determination were as strong as ever; but the purely87 physical side of him had been weakened somewhat. It was indeed only natural that it should be. No man can go through a period of four days of absolute negation of life without being weakened by it somehow.
As the hours crept by, the time passed more and more slowly. The other men seemed to get unconsciously a little drowsy88. I wondered if in the case of Mr. Trelawny and Mr. Corbeck, who had already been under the hypnotic influence of the Queen, the same dormance was manifesting itself. Doctor Winchester had periods of distraction89 which grew longer and more frequent as the time wore on.
As to Margaret, the suspense90 told on her exceedingly, as might have been expected in the case of a woman. She grew paler and paler still; till at last about midnight, I began to be seriously alarmed about her. I got her to come into the library with me, and tried to make her lie down on a sofa for a little while. As Mr. Trelawny had decided33 that the experiment was to be made exactly at the seventh hour after sunset, it would be as nearly as possible three o'clock in the morning when the great trial should be made. Even allowing a whole hour for the final preparations, we had still two hours of waiting to go through, and I promised faithfully to watch her and to awake her at any time she might name. She would not hear of it, however. She thanked me sweetly and smiled at me as she did so; but she assured me that she was not sleepy, and that she was quite able to bear up. That it was only the suspense and excitement of waiting that made her pale. I agreed perforce; but I kept her talking of many things in the library for more than an hour; so that at last, when she insisted on going back to her father's room I felt that I had at least done something to help her pass the time.
We found the three men sitting patiently in silence. With manlike fortitude91 they were content to be still when they felt they had done all in their power. And so we waited.
The striking of two o'clock seemed to freshen us all up. Whatever shadows had been settling over us during the long hours preceding seemed to lift at once; and we went about our separate duties alert and with alacrity92. We looked first to the windows to see that they were closed, and we got ready our respirators to put them on when the time should be close at hand. We had from the first arranged to use them for we did not know whether some noxious93 fume94 might not come from the magic coffer when it should be opened. Somehow, it never seemed to occur to any of us that there was any doubt as to its opening.
Then, under Margaret's guidance, we carried the mummied body of Queen Tera from her room into her father's, and laid it on a couch. We put the sheet lightly over it, so that if she should wake she could at once slip from under it. The severed95 hand was placed in its true position on her breast, and under it the Jewel of Seven Stars which Mr. Trelawny had taken from the great safe. It seemed to flash and blaze as he put it in its place.
It was a strange sight, and a strange experience. The group of grave silent men carried the white still figure, which looked like an ivory statue when through our moving the sheet fell back, away from the lighted candles and the white flowers. We placed it on the couch in that other room, where the blaze of the electric lights shone on the great sarcophagus fixed in the middle of the room ready for the final experiment, the great experiment consequent on the researches during a lifetime of these two travelled scholars. Again, the startling likeness between Margaret and the mummy, intensified96 by her own extraordinary pallor, heightened the strangeness of it all. When all was finally fixed three-quarters of an hour had gone, for we were deliberate in all our doings. Margaret beckoned97 me, and I went out with her to bring in Silvio. He came to her purring. She took him up and handed him to me; and then did a thing which moved me strangely and brought home to me keenly the desperate nature of the enterprise on which we were embarked98. One by one, she blew out the candles carefully and placed them back in their usual places. When she had finished she said to me:
"They are done with now. Whatever comes—life or death—there will be no purpose in their using now." Then taking Silvio into her arms, and pressing him close to her bosom99 where he purred loudly, we went back to the room. I closed the door carefully behind me, feeling as I did so a strange thrill as of finality. There was to be no going back now. Then we put on our respirators, and took our places as had been arranged. I was to stand by the taps of the electric lights beside the door, ready to turn them off or on as Mr. Trelawny should direct. Doctor Winchester was to stand behind the couch so that he should not be between the mummy and the sarcophagus; he was to watch carefully what should take place with regard to the Queen. Margaret was to be beside him; she held Silvio ready to place him upon the couch or beside it when she might think right. Mr. Trelawny and Mr. Corbeck were to attend to the lighting100 of the lamps. When the hands of the clock were close to the hour, they stood ready with their linstocks.
The striking of the silver bell of the clock seemed to smite101 on our hearts like a knell102 of doom103. One! Two! Three!
Before the third stroke the wicks of the lamps had caught, and I had turned out the electric light. In the dimness of the struggling lamps, and after the bright glow of the electric light, the room and all within it took weird104 shapes, and all seemed in an instant to change. We waited with our hearts beating. I know mine did, and I fancied I could hear the pulsation105 of the others.
The seconds seemed to pass with leaden wings. It were as though all the world were standing106 still. The figures of the others stood out dimly, Margaret's white dress alone showing clearly in the gloom. The thick respirators which we all wore added to the strange appearance. The thin light of the lamps showed Mr. Trelawny's square jaw107 and strong mouth and the brown shaven face of Mr. Corbeck. Their eyes seemed to glare in the light. Across the room Doctor Winchester's eyes twinkled like stars, and Margaret's blazed like black suns. Silvio's eyes were like emeralds.
Would the lamps never burn up!
It was only a few seconds in all till they did blaze up. A slow, steady light, growing more and more bright, and changing in colour from blue to crystal white. So they stayed for a couple of minutes without change in the coffer; till at last there began to appear all over it a delicate glow. This grew and grew, till it became like a blazing jewel, and then like a living thing whose essence of life was light. We waited and waited, our hearts seeming to stand still.
All at once there was a sound like a tiny muffled108 explosion and the cover lifted right up on a level plane a few inches; there was no mistaking anything now, for the whole room was full of a blaze of light. Then the cover, staying fast at one side rose slowly up on the other, as though yielding to some pressure of balance. The coffer still continued to glow; from it began to steal a faint greenish smoke. I could not smell it fully on account of the respirator; but, even through that, I was conscious of a strange pungent odour. Then this smoke began to grow thicker, and to roll out in volumes of ever increasing density109 till the whole room began to get obscure. I had a terrible desire to rush over to Margaret, whom I saw through the smoke still standing erect behind the couch. Then, as I looked, I saw Doctor Winchester sink down. He was not unconscious; for he waved his hand back and forward, as though to forbid any one to come to him. At this time the figures of Mr. Trelawny and Mr. Corbeck were becoming indistinct in the smoke which rolled round them in thick billowy clouds. Finally I lost sight of them altogether. The coffer still continued to glow; but the lamps began to grow dim. At first I thought that their light was being overpowered by the thick black smoke; but presently I saw that they were, one by one, burning out. They must have burned quickly to produce such fierce and vivid flames.
I waited and waited, expecting every instant to hear the command to turn up the light; but none came. I waited still, and looked with harrowing intensity110 at the rolling billows of smoke still pouring out of the glowing casket, whilst the lamps sank down and went out one by one.
Finally there was but one lamp alight, and that was dimly blue and flickering111. The only effective light in the room was from the glowing casket. I kept my eyes fixed toward Margaret; it was for her now that all my anxiety was claimed. I could just see her white frock beyond the still white shrouded112 figure on the couch. Silvio was troubled; his piteous mewing was the only sound in the room. Deeper and denser114 grew the black mist and its pungency115 began to assail116 my nostrils as well as my eyes. Now the volume of smoke coming from the coffer seemed to lessen117, and the smoke itself to be less dense113. Across the room I saw something white move where the couch was. There were several movements. I could just catch the quick glint of white through the dense smoke in the fading light; for now the glow of the coffer began quickly to subside118. I could still hear Silvio, but his mewing came from close under; a moment later I could feel him piteously crouching119 on my foot.
Then the last spark of light disappeared, and through the Egyptian darkness I could see the faint line of white around the window blinds. I felt that the time had come to speak; so I pulled off my respirator and called out:
"Shall I turn up the light?" There was no answer; so before the thick smoke choked me, I called again but more loudly:
"Mr. Trelawny, shall I turn up the light?" He did not answer; but from across the room I heard Margaret's voice, sounding as sweet and clear as a bell:
"Yes, Malcolm!" I turned the tap and the lamps flashed out. But they were only dim points of light in the midst of that murky120 ball of smoke. In that thick atmosphere there was little possibility of illumination. I ran across to Margaret, guided by her white dress, and caught hold of her and held her hand. She recognised my anxiety and said at once:
"I am all right."
"Thank God!" I said. "How are the others? Quick, let us open all the windows and get rid of this smoke!" To my surprise, she answered in a sleepy way:
"They will be all right. They won't get any harm." I did not stop to inquire how or on what ground she formed such an opinion, but threw up the lower sashes of all the windows, and pulled down the upper. Then I threw open the door.
A few seconds made a perceptible change as the thick, black smoke began to roll out of the windows. Then the lights began to grow into strength and I could see the room. All the men were overcome. Beside the couch Doctor Winchester lay on his back as though he had sunk down and rolled over; and on the farther side of the sarcophagus, where they had stood, lay Mr. Trelawny and Mr. Corbeck. It was a relief to me to see that, though they were unconscious, all three were breathing heavily as though in a stupor121. Margaret still stood behind the couch. She seemed at first to be in a partially dazed condition; but every instant appeared to get more command of herself. She stepped forward and helped me to raise her father and drag him close to a window. Together we placed the others similarly, and she flew down to the dining-room and returned with a decanter of brandy. This we proceeded to administer to them all in turn. It was not many minutes after we had opened the windows when all three were struggling back to consciousness. During this time my entire thoughts and efforts had been concentrated on their restoration; but now that this strain was off, I looked round the room to see what had been the effect of the experiment. The thick smoke had nearly cleared away; but the room was still misty122 and was full of a strange pungent acrid123 odour.
The great sarcophagus was just as it had been. The coffer was open, and in it, scattered124 through certain divisions or partitions wrought125 in its own substance, was a scattering126 of black ashes. Over all, sarcophagus, coffer and, indeed, all in the room, was a sort of black film of greasy127 soot128. I went over to the couch. The white sheet still lay over part of it; but it had been thrown back, as might be when one is stepping out of bed.
But there was no sign of Queen Tera! I took Margaret by the hand and led her over. She reluctantly left her father to whom she was administering, but she came docilely129 enough. I whispered to her as I held her hand:
"What has become of the Queen? Tell me! You were close at hand, and must have seen if anything happened!" She answered me very softly:
"There was nothing that I could see. Until the smoke grew too dense I kept my eyes on the couch, but there was no change. Then, when all grew so dark that I could not see, I thought I heard a movement close to me. It might have been Doctor Winchester who had sunk down overcome; but I could not be sure. I thought that it might be the Queen waking, so I put down poor Silvio. I did not see what became of him; but I felt as if he had deserted130 me when I heard him mewing over by the door. I hope he is not offended with me!" As if in answer, Silvio came running into the room and reared himself against her dress, pulling it as though clamouring to be taken up. She stooped down and took him up and began to pet and comfort him.
I went over and examined the couch and all around it most carefully. When Mr. Trelawny and Mr. Corbeck recovered sufficiently131, which they did quickly, though Doctor Winchester took longer to come round, we went over it afresh. But all we could find was a sort of ridge132 of impalpable dust, which gave out a strange dead odour. On the couch lay the jewel of the disk and plumes which the Queen had worn in her hair, and the Star Jewel which had words to command the Gods.
Other than this we never got clue to what had happened. There was just one thing which confirmed our idea of the physical annihilation of the mummy. In the sarcophagus in the hall, where we had placed the mummy of the cat, was a small patch of similar dust.
In the autumn Margaret and I were married. On the occasion she wore the mummy robe and zone and the jewel which Queen Tera had worn in her hair. On her breast, set in a ring of gold make like a twisted lotus stalk, she wore the strange Jewel of Seven Stars which held words to command the God of all the worlds. At the marriage the sunlight streaming through the chancel windows fell on it, and it seemed to glow like a living thing.
The graven words may have been of efficacy; for Margaret holds to them, and there is no other life in all the world so happy as my own.
We often think of the great Queen, and we talk of her freely. Once, when I said with a sigh that I was sorry she could not have waked into a new life in a new world, my wife, putting both her hands in mine and looking into my eyes with that far-away eloquent133 dreamy look which sometimes comes into her own, said lovingly:
"Do not grieve for her! Who knows, but she may have found the joy she sought? Love and patience are all that make for happiness in this world; or in the world of the past or of the future; of the living or the dead. She dreamed her dream; and that is all that any of us can ask!"
THE END
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1
negation
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| n.否定；否认 | |
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2
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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3
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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4
antidote
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| n.解毒药，解毒剂 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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7
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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8
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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9
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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10
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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11
creased
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| （使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴 | |
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12
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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13
manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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14
bitumen
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| n.沥青 | |
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15
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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16
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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17
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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18
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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19
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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20
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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21
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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22
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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23
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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24
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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25
kindling
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| n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
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26
ablaze
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| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
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27
embalming
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| v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的现在分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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28
conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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29
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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30
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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31
uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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32
embalmed
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| adj.用防腐药物保存（尸体）的v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的过去式和过去分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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33
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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34
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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35
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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36
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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37
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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38
indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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39
sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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40
friction
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| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
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41
varnish
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| n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰 | |
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42
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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43
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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44
enthusiasts
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| n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 ) | |
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45
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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46
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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47
rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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48
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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49
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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50
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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51
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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52
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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53
profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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54
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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55
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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56
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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57
constrict
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| v.压缩，收缩，阻塞 | |
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58
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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59
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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60
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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61
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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62
buckle
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| n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲 | |
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63
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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64
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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65
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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66
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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67
intake
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| n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口 | |
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68
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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69
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
nude
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| adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品 | |
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71
attenuation
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| n.变薄；弄细；稀薄化；减少 | |
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72
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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74
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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75
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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76
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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77
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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78
quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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79
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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80
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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81
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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82
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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83
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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84
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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85
stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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86
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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87
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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88
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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89
distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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90
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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91
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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92
alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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93
noxious
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| adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的 | |
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94
fume
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| n.(usu pl.)(浓烈或难闻的)烟，气，汽 | |
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95
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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96
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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99
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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100
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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101
smite
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| v.重击；彻底击败；n.打；尝试；一点儿 | |
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102
knell
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| n.丧钟声；v.敲丧钟 | |
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103
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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104
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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105
pulsation
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| n.脉搏，悸动，脉动；搏动性 | |
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106
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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107
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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108
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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109
density
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| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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111
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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112
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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113
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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114
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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115
pungency
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| n.（气味等的）刺激性；辣；（言语等的）辛辣；尖刻 | |
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116
assail
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| v.猛烈攻击，抨击，痛斥 | |
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117
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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118
subside
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| vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降 | |
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119
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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120
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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121
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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122
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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123
acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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124
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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125
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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126
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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127
greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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128
soot
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| n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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129
docilely
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| adv.容易教地，易驾驶地，驯服地 | |
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130
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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131
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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132
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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133
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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