"You had better remain upstairs until I call you," Routh had said to Harriet, "when Dallas comes to dinner. It will be easier for you," he added. Harriet was sitting listlessly by her dressing-table while he spoke6, and he stood behind her chair, and looked gloomily at the reflection of her face in the glass.
She smiled faintly. "Thank you, Stewart," she said; "it will be easier." Then, after a brief pause, "Would you very much mind my not going down to dinner at all?"
So far from minding it, Routh instantly felt that her absence would be a great relief. It would enable him to sound George thoroughly7, to scheme upon whatever discoveries he should make concerning his future plans; and then, Harriet had done all the hard work, had prepared the way for him, had got over the difficulty and the danger. A little unpleasantness, some disagreeable emotion, must indeed be encountered, that was inevitable8, but everything might go off well, and if so, Harriet's restraining presence, Harriet's face, with its constant reminder9 in it, would be much better out of sight.
"Not at all," he answered. "Stay upstairs if you like. I'll tell Dallas you are a little knocked up, but will be all right in the morning."
"He will not be surprised, I dare say," she replied, "though it was not my way to be knocked up formerly10."
"Nor to be always harping11 on one string, either; and I can't say there's a change for the better," said Routh roughly. Once or twice of late the innate12 ruffianism of the man had come out towards her, from whom it had once been so scrupulously13 concealed14. But she did not heed15 it; not a quiver crossed the drooping16 rigid17 face, at which Routh once more glanced covertly18 before he left the room. It would have been impossible to tell whether she had even heard him.
Routh went down to the well-appointed dining-room, so different to the scene of the dinners of which George had formerly partaken, in the character of his guest. Wherever Harriet was, neatness and propriety19 never were absent, but there was something more than neatness and propriety in Routh's house now. Nevertheless, the look which the master of the house cast upon the well-laid, well-lighted table, with its perfect, unobtrusive, unpretentious appointments, was full of gloom. He wished he had not come down so soon; the inevitable meeting assumed a more portentous20 aspect with every minute that it was delayed; he wished he had not told Harriet to remain in her room. The fact was, Routh was staggered by the first failure of his plans. Everything had gone so right with him; his calculations had been fulfilled so exactly, so unfailingly, until now, and this unexpected accident had befallen through a blunder of his own. True, Harriet had met it with amazing tact22, and had so treated it, that if only it could be further dexterously23 managed, it might be turned to ultimate advantage and an incalculable strengthening of his position. Let him keep his thoughts to that view of the question, and keep his nerves still. Were they going to play him false now, his nerves, which had never failed him before? So Mr. Stewart Routh passed a very unpleasant quarter of an hour before his expected guest arrived. He had just had recourse, as much in weakness as in nervousness, to a flask24 of brandy which stood on the sideboard, and had drank off half a glassful, when a knock at the door was quickly answered by the grave and correct man-servant, who formed an important and eminently25 respectable feature of the improved household of the Rouths, and the well-known quick tread of Dallas crossed the hall.
"Well, Routh, old fellow!"
"George, my boy; delighted to see you!" and the meeting was over; and Routh, looking into the young man's face, saw that not a trace of suspicion rested upon it, and that the material before him was as plastic as ever.
"Harriet is not very well this evening," said Routh, "and begs you will excuse her if she does not make her appearance. I undertook to make it all right, and indeed I am rather glad we should be alone just at first. I have so much to say and to hear, and Harriet has had a long talk with you already."
"Yes," said George, and his smile was at once overcast26, and his face darkened into gloom, "I had a long talk with her. Of course, Routh, she told you the dreadful discovery I have made, and the curious way in which I am implicated27 in this ghastly affair."
"She told me all about it, my dear fellow," returned Routh. "But here comes dinner, and we must postpone28 discussion until afterwards. I can only say now that I think Harriet's view of the matter perfectly29 correct, and her advice the soundest possible; it generally is, you know of old." And then Routh made a slight signal suggestive of caution to his guest, and the two men stood by the fireplace and talked of trifles while the irreproachable30 man-servant set the dishes upon the table, assisted by a neat parlour-maid.
While far more serious thoughts were busy in George's mind, over the surface of it was passing observation of the changed order of things, and an amused perception of the alteration31 in Routh himself. It was as he had said in his letter--he had assumed the responsibility, the pose, the prosperity of the genuine plodding32 "City man;" and he looked the part to absolute perfection. "And yet," George thought, "he knows that one who was with us two the last time we met has met with a violent death; he knows that I am in a position as painful and perilous33 as it is extraordinary, and that he is indirectly34 mixed up with the dreadful event, and he is as cool and unconcerned as possible. I suppose it is constitutional, this callousness35; but I'm not sure it is very enviable. However, one thing is certain--it makes him the very best adviser36 one can possibly have under such circumstances. He won't be carried away by the horror of the circumstances, anyhow."
The dinner proceeded, and George yielded rapidly to the influences which had been so powerful, and which he had been so determined37 to resist, when out of Routh's presence and under the sway of his penitence38 and his determination to reform. The conversation of Routh asserted all its old charm; the man's consummate39 knowledge of the world, his varied40 experience, the perfect refinement41 and tact which he could display at will, the apparent putting off of old things, the tone of utter respectability which abled George's newly-sharpened conscience to consent to the fascination42 as readily as his predilections43, had more than ever an irresistible44 attraction for the young man. During dinner, which, in the altered state of affairs, involved the presence of the servant, Routh kept the conversation almost entirely to Dallas's own doings, plans, and prospects45. He knew Amsterdam well, and talked of Dutch art and the history of the Low Countries with much skill and fluency46. Without an allusion47 which could supply material for the curiosity and the gossip of the servants, he made George understand that the Bohemian element had been completely banished48 from his life and its associations; he sketched49 a plan of London life for George, moderately prosperous, quite practical, and entirely inoffensive. He made him, in short, as ready to congratulate himself on the resumption of their intimacy50 in the present phase of his moral being as he had been to rejoice in its formation under former conditions.
Routh's spirits rose with his senses. He felt a depraved pride in the devilish skill he possessed51 in his grand faculty52 of deception53. He excelled in it, he revelled54 in its exercise, and he had not enjoyed it, in this orthodox way, of late. He had been making money, it is true, and doing some real work as well as a good deal of swindling in the process, but he had had only the opportunity of using a certain set of his faculties55. His persuasive56 eloquence57, his personal influence, his skilful58 and expansive but shrewd falsehood had lain dormant59 for some time. As a singer who has lost his voice for a time suddenly finds the liquid notes filling the air with all their accustomed power and sweetness, and exults60 in the recovered faculty, so Stewart Routh marked the pleasure, the enthusiasm, almost enabling George to forget the coming painful topic of discussion from which only a few minutes divided them, as he listened to the voice of the charmer, who had never before charmed him so wisely nor so well.
At length the wine was set upon the table, and then they were alone; and by this time, so complete did Routh feel his resumption of power over George Dallas, that it was with indifference61 only very little feigned62 that he said:
"And now, George, let us go into this sad business about poor Deane. It has quite floored Harriet, as I dare say you guessed."
"And so you give me the same counsel as Harriet has given me," said George, when he had to tell his story all over again, and had worked himself up into a new fit of excitement over the horror of the murder, and the dreadful idea of the ignorance of the deed in which the dead man's relatives still remained.
"I do, indeed, George," said Routh, solemnly: "in taking any other course you will expose yourself to certain difficulty, and, indeed, to imminently63 probable danger. While you have been telling all this, I have been thinking how fortunate it was that I was away at the time, and so down upon my luck that I never knew or thought about any public affairs, and so did not hear of the murder except in the vaguest way. In the peculiar64 lustre65 of our London civilization, you know, George, somebody found dead in the river is so frequent a mote66, that nobody thinks about it."
"Not in a general way," said George; "but they made so much of this, and were so confident that it was a political affair, I cannot understand how any of us escaped hearing of it."
"Yes," acquiesced67 Routh, "it is very extraordinary, but such things do happen. And rather fortunate, it seems, that they do, for if I had dropped in on the inquest, it would have been very awkward for you."
"Why?" said George; "after all, the truth must have come out, and all this misery68 about my mother would have been avoided."
An evil look from Routh's eye lighted for a moment on the young man's unconscious face, then glanced away, as he said:
"You forget that all I could have said must have strongly favoured the notion that the man who wore the coat which the waiter swore to, and was last seen with Deane, was the last person who ever saw him alive. If I had had time to think, of course I shouldn't have said a word about it; but if I had been hurried into speaking, that is what I must have said. Come, George, you are much too sensitive about this matter. Of course, I'm sorry for Deane, but I care a great deal more for you, and I decline to look at any part of this matter except such as concerns you. As to his relatives, as that part of the business appears to distress69 you most keenly, I must set your mind at rest by informing you that he had not a near relation in the world."
"Indeed!" said George. "How do you know?"
"He told me so," said Routh. "You will say, perhaps, that is not very trustworthy evidence, but I think we may take it in this particular instance for more than its general worth. He was the coldest, hardest, most selfish fellow I ever knew in the whole course of my experience, which has included a good deal of scoundreldom, and he seemed so thoroughly to appreciate the advantages of such isolation70, that I believe it really did exist."
"He was certainly a mystery in every way," said George. "Where did he live? We never knew him--at least I never did--except loafing about at taverns71, and places of the kind."
"I don't know where he lived," said Routh; "he never gave me an address, or a rendezvous73, except at some City eating-house, or West-end billiard-room."
"How very extraordinary that no one recognized the description! It was in every way remarkable74, and the fur-lined coat must have been known to some one. If I had seen any mention of the murder, I should have remembered that coat in a moment."
"Would you?" said Routh. "Well, it would have thrown me off the scent75, for I never happened to see it. An American coat, no doubt. However, I have a theory, which I think you will agree with, and which is this: I suspect he had been living somewhere in another name--he told me he wasn't always known by that of Deane--under not very creditable circumstances, and as he must have had some property, which, had he been identified, must have been delivered up to the authorities, those in the secret have very wisely held their tongues."
"You think there was a woman in the case?"
Routh smiled a superior smile.
"Of course I think so; and knowing as much or as little of the man as you and I know, we are not likely to blame her much for consulting her own interests exclusively. This seems a curious case to us, because we happen to know about it; but just think, in this enormous city, in this highly criminal age, how common such things must be. How many persons may not have dropped out of existence since you and I last met, utterly76 unknown and uncared for, amid the mass of human beings here? It is no such rare thing, George, believe me, and you must listen to reason in this matter, and not run absurd risks to do an imaginary piece of justice."
This was Harriet's counsel merely put in colder, more worldly words. Routh watched his listener keenly as he gave it, and saw that his purpose was gained. He would have been glad now to have turned the conversation into some other channel; and did partially77 succeed in directing it to Dallas's literary prospects and intentions, but only for a time. George pertinaciously78 came back to the murder, to his mother's state, to his apprehensions79 that she might never recover, and to his altered feelings towards Mr. Carruthers.
Routh made very effective use of the latter topic. He enlarged upon the pride and sensitiveness of Mr. Carruthers; adverted80 to the pleasure with which, in case of her recovery, his mother would hail the better state of things for which Mr. Carruthers's letter to his stepson, combined with George's adoption81 of a new and steady career, would afford an opening; and congratulated George upon having been saved from taking any step which, by bringing public notice upon himself in so terrible a matter, must have incensed83 the proud man, and irritated him against him incalculably.
George was amenable84 to this line of reasoning, and with only occasional divergence85 from the main topic of their discourse86, the evening passed away, and the two men parted for the night, it having been agreed that Harriet should be taken into consultation87 in the morning, and a well-considered letter written to Mr. Carruthers.
George Dallas was in the dining-room on the following morning before Routh and Harriet came in, and he found a letter directed to himself, in a hand with which he was unacquainted, on the breakfast-table. He broke the seal with some alarm and much curiosity. A slip of paper folded round two thin limp letters formed the enclosure; it bore only the words; "My dear boy, I forgot to give you these letters. You had better read them. I think they are from your uncle.--E. B."
George sat down by the window, through which the soft air of a morning bright and beautiful even in London came refreshingly88 in. He looked at the postmarks of the two letters, and broke the seal of that which bore the earliest date first. As he read the letter, which was long, and closely written, ail21 occasional exclamation89 escaped him, and when he had finished its perusal90, he threw it hastily down, and impatiently tore open the other. This one, on the contrary, was brief; he had read the few lines it contained in a few minutes, with a face expressive91 of the utmost astonishment92, when Harriet, whose noiseless step had escaped his hearing, entered the room.
Without pausing to exchange the customary greeting, she came quickly towards him, and asked him "What was the matter? Had he any bad news?"
"Not bad news, but most astonishing, most unexpected news, Mrs. Routh. These letters have been sent to me from Poynings; they are written to my mother by my uncle, her only brother, and they announce his immediate93 arrival in England. How fortunate that Ellen should have sent them to me! But I don't know what to do about sending the news to my mother. She ought to know it. What can I do?"
"Communicate with Mr. Carruthers at once, George," said Harriet, in the tone of quiet decision with which she was accustomed to settle matters submitted to her judgment94. "He is with her, and knows what she can bear. Sit down now and have some breakfast, and tell me about this uncle of yours. I never heard you mention him."
She took her place at the head of the table. She was dressed, as he had been accustomed to see her, with neatness and taste; there was no change in her appearance in that respect, yet there was a change--a change which had struck George painfully yesterday, and which, in the midst of all the agitation95 of to-day, he could not keep from noticing.
"Are you well, Mrs. Routh?" he asked her, anxiously. "Are you sure you are well? I don't like your looks."
"Never mind my looks, George," Harriet said, cheerfully; "I am very well. Get on with your breakfast and your story. Routh will be here presently, and I want to know all about it before he comes. He gets impatient at my feminine curiosity, you know."
The smile with which she spoke was but the ghost of her former smile, and George still looked at her strangely, but he obeyed her, and proceeded with his breakfast and his story.
"I don't know very much about my mother's family," he said, "because they did not like her marriage with my father, and she kept aloof96 from them, and her parents were dead before she had the opportunity of appeasing97 them by making the fine match they would have considered her marriage with Mr. Carruthers to be. I know that some of their relatives were settled in America,--some at New York, some in South Carolina,--and my mother's brother, Mark Felton--queer name, puritanical98 and fanatical, with a touch of the association of assassination99 about it--was sent out to New York when quite a child. I forgot to tell you it was my mother's stepfather and her mother who objected to her first marriage--her own father died when she was an infant; and on her mother's second marriage with a Mr. Creswick--a poor, proud, dissipated fellow, I fancy, though I never heard much about him--the American branch of the family sent for the boy. My mother has told me they would have taken her too, and her stepfather would not have made the least objection--we haven't been lucky in stepfathers, Mrs. Routh--but her mother would not stand it; and so she kept her child. Not for many years, for she married my father when she was only seventeen. Her brother was just twenty then, and had been taken into the rich American firm of his relatives, and was a prosperous man. She knew very little of him, of course. I believe he took the same view of her marriage as her mother had taken; at all events, the first direct communication between them took place when my mother was left a handsome and poor young widow, with one boy, who did not make much delay about proving himself the graceless and ungrateful son you know him to have been."
George's voice faltered100, and an expression of pain crossed his face. Harriet looked at him kindly101, and laid her soft white hand on his.
"But the consequences, Mrs. Routh, the consequences. Think of my mother now. However," and he drew a long breath, and threw his shoulders back, like a man who tries to shift a burden, "I must go on with my story. There's not much more to tell, however. My mother might have had a home for herself and me in her brother's house, but she could not bear dependence102, and has told me often that she regarded unknown relatives as the most formidable kind of strangers. Her brother's wife made him resent my mother's determination to remain in England, and do the best she could for us both on our small means. Of course, all this was an old story long before I knew anything about it, and I fancy that it is only lately any correspondence has taken place between my mother and her brother. From this letter" (he touched the first he had read) "I can divine the nature of that correspondence. My mother," said George, sadly, "has appealed to her brother on behalf of her prodigal103 son, and her brother has told her his sorrows in return; they have been heavy, and in one respect not unlike her own. He, too, has an only son, and seems to find little happiness in the fact."
"Did you not know of your cousin's existence until now?" asked Harriet.
"O yes, I knew of it, in a kind of way; in fact, I just knew he existed, and no more. I don't think my mother knew more. I fancy in some previous letter he told her of his wife's death, and the general unsatisfactoriness of Arthur."
"Yes," replied George. "I won't bother you with the whole of this long letter, Mrs. Routh; the gist105 of it is this: My cousin, Arthur Felton, is not a good son, nor a good anything, I fancy, for I find my uncle congratulating my mother on my affection for her, my good feeling, in spite of all--(bless the poor man! he little knew how his words would wound, and how ill-deserved is the extenuation106!)--and prophesying107 all manner of good things about me. It appears this hopeful son of his has been in Europe for some months, and probably in London for some months too, as my uncle says--stay, here is the passage: 'Arthur has with him a letter of introduction to you and Mr. Carruthers, some trifles from this side of the world which I thought you might like, and my instructions to make his cousin's acquaintance as soon as possible. You speak of George as living habitually108 in London; I hope by this time they have met, are good friends, and are, perhaps, chumming together. I have not heard from Arthur for some time. He is a careless correspondent, and not at any time so regardful of the feelings of other people as he might be. I dare say the first intelligence I shall have of him from England, as he cannot possibly want money'--that looks bad, Mrs. Routh," said George, breaking off abruptly109, and looking up at her; "that looks bad--'as he cannot possibly want money, will be from you. I know you will receive him kindly, and I earnestly hope he may make a favourable110 impression on Mr. Carruthers.'" Here George left off reading the letter, and looked blankly at Harriet.
"And he has never presented himself at Poynings, has he?" she asked.
"Never, that I know of; and of course Ellen Brookes would have told me, if he had. Besides, you see this letter was late for the mail, and arrived with this other one. My mother never saw either, and they have been lying more than six weeks at Poynings."
"No doubt your cousin is still in Paris. All Americans delight in Paris. He would be in no hurry to leave Paris, depend on it, if he had no more interesting acquaintance than that of an aunt and a cousin to make in London, and as much time before him as he chose."
"I should think with you, Mrs. Routh, only that this letter, written at New York on the 3rd of April, says my uncle had heard from Arthur, who had merely written him a line from London, saying: 'Here I am. Particulars by next mail.' The mail brought no particulars, and my uncle writes to my mother, subsequently to this long letter, which is cheerful enough, you'll observe, that he is a prey111 to a presentiment112 that something is wrong with Arthur, also that he has conceived the strongest wish to come to England and see her, and especially to see me--that he has sufficient money and leisure to gratify the inclination--that he will wait for the chance of further intelligence of Arthur, and to arrange certain business matters, a month longer, and then come to England. He seems to have formed a remarkably113 elementary notion of my respected stepfather's manners, customs, and general disposition114, for he proposes to present himself at Poynings immediately on his arrival, and never appears to entertain the least misgiving115 as to the cordiality of his reception. He must have been astonished at getting no answer to either letter, and I should think must have had his presentiments116 considerably117 sharpened and strengthened by the fact."
Here George referred to the date of the later of the two letters, and exclaimed:
"By Jove! I should not be surprised if he were at Poynings now!"
At this moment Routh entered the room, and, in his turn, had the new aspect of affairs explained to him, but at no great length. He displayed very little interest in the matter, thought it very probable that Mr. Felton might have arrived in England, or even at Poynings, but did not see what George could do in that case.
"You can't go and entertain another man at a house where you haven't the entrée yourself," he said. "I suppose the old woman will let you know if he really comes to Poynings. In the mean time, send the letters on to Mr. Carruthers. You expect to get his address from some girl or other--his niece, I think I understood Harriet--and ask what is to be done. It's rather a lucky turn up, Dallas, I take it, and will help your good-boy intentions towards your stepfather wonderfully, to have a rich uncle to act as a connecting-link between you. By the by, he's sure to set you up in life, George, and periodical literature will be robbed of a shining luminary118."
George did not altogether like the tone in which all this was said. It was a little sneering119, and altogether careless. Nothing was so difficult to Routh, as it always is to men of his class, as the sustained assumption of interest in any affairs but their own; and now that his anxieties of the previous day were relieved, and he had no immediate object in which Dallas was concerned, to gain, he was impatient of any interruption of his immediate pursuits, and harsh and rough with him. He sat down, and ate his breakfast hastily, while he read a heap of letters which lay beside his plate.
"I don't know, indeed," George had replied good-humouredly to the speech which had jarred upon him; "but you are busy, Routh, and I won't trouble you with my business just now. Mrs. Routh and I will discuss the letter to Mr. Carruthers."
"A telegram for Mr. Dallas," said the irreproachable servant, who entered the room while George was speaking. "Please to sign this, sir."
Routh looked up from his letters, Harriet set down the teapot, and quietly taking up the slip of paper which the man had laid upon the table by George's elbow, signed it with his name, writing it with a pencil which hung at her waist. The servant left the room, and George said:
"I was not wrong. This is from my uncle, and it comes from Amherst. He says: 'Meet me at Morley's Hotel this evening, at six.'"
"Very odd," said Routh. "Well, George, I am sure I wish you all manner of luck with your American uncle."
He had taken up his hat and gloves as he spoke, and now rang for the servant, whom he directed to call a hansom. The man went to the door, and transferred the commission to a street-boy lingering about there, who ran off, and returned in two minutes with the required vehicle. George and Routh were standing120 on the steps as the boy reappeared, talking. They shook hands, and Routh was stepping into the cab, when George followed him, and said, in a whisper:
"Was it not extraordinary the boy did not recognize poor Deane?"
"What boy?" said Routh, in astonishment, and stepping back on to the flagway.
"Why, that boy; the boy you always employ. He brought you my message the other day. Don't you remember it was he brought your note to poor Deane that day at the tavern72?"
"I did not remember; I did not particularly notice," said Routh. "Good-bye." And he jumped into the cab, and was driven away.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
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： |
|
|
|
|
3
solitude
|
|
| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
impute
|
|
| v.归咎于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
thoroughly
|
|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
inevitable
|
|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
reminder
|
|
| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
formerly
|
|
| adv.从前，以前 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
harping
|
|
| n.反复述说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
innate
|
|
| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
scrupulously
|
|
| adv.一丝不苟地；小心翼翼地，多顾虑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
heed
|
|
| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
drooping
|
|
| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
rigid
|
|
| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
covertly
|
|
| adv.偷偷摸摸地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
propriety
|
|
| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
portentous
|
|
| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
ail
|
|
| v.生病，折磨，苦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
tact
|
|
| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
dexterously
|
|
| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
flask
|
|
| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
eminently
|
|
| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
overcast
|
|
| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
implicated
|
|
| adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
postpone
|
|
| v.延期，推迟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
irreproachable
|
|
| adj.不可指责的，无过失的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
alteration
|
|
| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
plodding
|
|
| a.proceeding in a slow or dull way | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
perilous
|
|
| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
indirectly
|
|
| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
callousness
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
adviser
|
|
| n.劝告者，顾问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
penitence
|
|
| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
consummate
|
|
| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
varied
|
|
| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
refinement
|
|
| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
fascination
|
|
| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
predilections
|
|
| n.偏爱，偏好，嗜好( predilection的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
irresistible
|
|
| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
prospects
|
|
| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
fluency
|
|
| n.流畅，雄辩，善辩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
allusion
|
|
| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
banished
|
|
| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
sketched
|
|
| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
intimacy
|
|
| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
faculty
|
|
| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
deception
|
|
| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
revelled
|
|
| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
faculties
|
|
| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
persuasive
|
|
| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
eloquence
|
|
| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
skilful
|
|
| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
dormant
|
|
| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
exults
|
|
| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
indifference
|
|
| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
feigned
|
|
| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
imminently
|
|
| 迫切地，紧急地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
peculiar
|
|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
lustre
|
|
| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
mote
|
|
| n.微粒；斑点 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
acquiesced
|
|
| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
misery
|
|
| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
distress
|
|
| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
isolation
|
|
| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
taverns
|
|
| n.小旅馆，客栈，酒馆( tavern的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
tavern
|
|
| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
rendezvous
|
|
| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
remarkable
|
|
| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
partially
|
|
| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
pertinaciously
|
|
| adv.坚持地；固执地；坚决地；执拗地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
apprehensions
|
|
| 疑惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
adverted
|
|
| 引起注意（advert的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
adoption
|
|
| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
err
|
|
| vi.犯错误，出差错 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
incensed
|
|
| 盛怒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
amenable
|
|
| adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
divergence
|
|
| n.分歧，岔开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
discourse
|
|
| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
consultation
|
|
| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
refreshingly
|
|
| adv.清爽地，有精神地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
exclamation
|
|
| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
perusal
|
|
| n.细读，熟读；目测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
expressive
|
|
| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
agitation
|
|
| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
aloof
|
|
| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
appeasing
|
|
| 安抚，抚慰( appease的现在分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
puritanical
|
|
| adj.极端拘谨的；道德严格的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
assassination
|
|
| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
faltered
|
|
| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
dependence
|
|
| n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
prodigal
|
|
| adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
widower
|
|
| n.鳏夫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
gist
|
|
| n.要旨；梗概 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
extenuation
|
|
| n.减轻罪孽的借口；酌情减轻；细 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
prophesying
|
|
| v.预告，预言( prophesy的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
habitually
|
|
| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
favourable
|
|
| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
presentiment
|
|
| n.预感，预觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
remarkably
|
|
| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
misgiving
|
|
| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
presentiments
|
|
| n.（对不祥事物的）预感( presentiment的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
considerably
|
|
| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
luminary
|
|
| n.名人，天体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
sneering
|
|
| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |