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CHAPTER XXIII SPRING COMES TO SHERWOOD
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 Jane was home again. Judy was better. Philomel sang. The world was a lovely place.
“Oh, but it’s good to be back,” Jane was telling Baldy at breakfast. The windows were wide open, the fragrance1 of lilacs streamed in, there were pink hyacinths on the table.
“It’s heavenly.”
Baldy smiled at her. “The same old Jane.”
She shook her head, and the light in her eyes wavered as if some breath of doubt fanned it. “Not quite. The winter hasn’t been easy. I’m a thousand years older.”
“And with a wedding day ahead of you.”
“Yes. Do you like it, Baldy?”
He leaned back in his chair and surveyed her. “Not a bit—if you want the truth—I shall be jealous of Mr. Frederick Towne.”
“Silly. You know I shall never love anybody more than you, Baldy.”
She was perfectly2 unconscious of the revelation she was making, but he knew—and was constrained3 to say, “Then you don’t really love him.”
“Oh, I do. He’s much nicer than I imagined he might be.”
[279]“Oh, well, if you think you are going to be happy.”
“I know I am—dearest,” she blew a kiss from the tips of her fingers. “Baldy, I’m going to have a great house with a great garden—and invite Judy and the babies—every summer.”
“Towne’s not marrying Judy and the babies. He’s marrying you. He won’t want all of your poor relations hanging around.”
“Oh, he will. He has been simply dear. I feel as if I can never do enough for him.”
She was very much in earnest. Baldy refrained from further criticism lest he cloud the happiness of her home-coming. The thing was done. They might as well make the best of it. So he said, “Do you always call him ‘Mr. Towne’?”
“Yes. He scolds, but I can’t say Frederick—or Fred. He begs me to do it—but I tell him to wait till we’re married and then I’ll say ‘dear.’ Most wives do that, don’t they?”
“I hope mine won’t.”
“Why not?”
“I shall want my wife to invent names for me, and if she can’t, I’ll do it for her.”
Jane opened her eyes wide. “Romance with a big R, Baldy?”
“Yes, of course. I should want to be king, lover, master—friend to the woman who cared for me. That’s the real thing, Janey.”
“Is it?” But she did not follow the subject up;[280] she drew another cup of coffee for herself, and asked finally, “When is Evans coming back?”
“Not for several days. He will go to Boston when he finishes with New York.”
“I see. And he’s much better?”
“I should say. You wouldn’t know him.”
He rose. “I must run on. We’re to dine at Towne’s then?”
“Yes. Just the five of us. It seems funny that I haven’t met Cousin Annabel. But she’s able to take her place at the head of the table, Mr. Towne tells me. He told me, too, that she wants to meet me. But I have a feeling that she won’t approve of me, Baldy. I’m not fashionable enough.”
“Why should you be fashionable? You are all right as you are.”
“Am I? Baldy, I believe my stock has gone up with you.”
“It hasn’t, Janey. You were always a darling. But I didn’t want to spoil you.”
“As if you could,” she smiled wistfully. “Sometimes I have a feeling, Baldy, that I should like life to go on just as it is. Just you and me, Baldy. But of course it can’t.”
“Of course it can, if you wish it. You mustn’t marry Towne if you have the least doubt.”
“I haven’t any doubts. So don’t worry.” She stood up and kissed him. “Briggs will come out for me—and we are all to see a play together afterward4.”
[281]“Edith told me.”
“Baldy,” she had hold of the lapel of his coat, “how are things going with—Edith?”
“Do you mean, am I in love with her? I am.”
“Are you going to marry her?”
“God knows.”
She looked up at him in surprise. “What makes you say it that way? Has she told you she didn’t care?”
“She has told me that she does care. But do you think, Janey, that I’m going to take her money?”
He patted her on the cheek and was off. She went to the top of the terrace and watched him ride away. Then she walked in the little shaded grove5 behind the house. Merrymaid followed her and the much-matured kitten. There was a carpet underfoot of pine needles and of fragrant6 young growth. Several of her old hens scratched in the rich mould—and their broods of tiny chicks answering the urgent mother-cry were like bits of yellow down blown before a breeze.
Jane picked a spray of princess-pine and stuck it in her blouse. Oh, what an adorable world! Her world. Could there be anything better that Frederick Towne could give her?
Baldy’s words rang in her ears—“Do you think I am going to take her money?”
Yet she was taking Frederick Towne’s money.[282] She wished it had not been necessary. Each day it seemed to her that the thought burned deeper: she was under obligations to her lover that could be repaid only by marriage. And they were to be married in June.
Yet why should the thought burn? She loved him. Not, perhaps, as Baldy loved Edith. But there were respect and admiration7, yes, and when she was with him, she felt his charm, she was carried along on the whirling stream of his own adoration8 and tenderness.
Yet—there were things to dread9. She would have to meet his friends. Be judged by them. There would be formal entertaining. Edith had said once that the demand of society on women was really high-class drudgery10. “Much worse than washing dishes.”
Jane didn’t quite believe that. Yet there must be a happy medium. Her dreams had had to do with a little house—a little garden.
She went back to her own little house, and found a great box of roses waiting. She spent an hour filling vases and bowls with them. Old Sophy coming in from the kitchen said, “Looks lak dat Mistuh Towne’s jes’ fascinated with you, Miss Janey.”
“Aren’t the roses lovely, Sophy?” Jane wanted to tell Sophy that Mr. Towne would some day be her husband. But she still deferred11 the announcement of her engagement.
[283]“I’ve told one or two people,” Frederick had said.
“Whom?”
“Well, Adelaide. She’s such an old friend. And I told Annabel, of course. I don’t see why you should care, Jane.”
“I think I’m afraid that when I go into a shop someone will say, ‘Oh, she’s going to marry Frederick Towne, and see how shabby she is.’”
“You are never shabby.”
“That’s because I made myself two new dresses while I was at Judy’s. And this is one of them.”
“You have the great art of looking lovely in the simplest things. But some day you are going to wear a frock that I have for you.” He told her about the silver and blue creation he had bought in Chicago. “Now and then I take it out and look at it. I’ve put it in your room, Jane, and it is waiting for you.”
She thought now of the blue and silver gown, as Sophy said, “Miss Jane, I done pressed that w’ite chiffon of yours twel it hardly hangs together.”
“I’ll wear it once more, Sophy. I’m having a sewing woman next week.”
With the old white chiffon she wore a golden rose or two—and sat at Frederick’s right, while on the other end of the great table, Cousin Annabel weighed her in the balance.
Jane knew she was being weighed. Cousin Annabel[284] was so blue-blooded that it showed in the veins12 of her hands and nose—and her hair was dressed with a gray transformation13 which quite overpowered her thin little face with its thin little nose.
As a matter of fact, Cousin Annabel felt that Frederick had taken leave of his senses. What could he see in this short-haired girl—who hadn’t a jewel, except the one he had given her?
Jane wore Towne’s ring, hidden, on a ribbon around her neck. “Some day I’ll let everybody see it,” she had said, “but not now.”
“You act as if you were ashamed of it.”
“I’m not. But Cinderella must wait until the night of the ball.”
It was while they were drinking their coffee in the drawing-room that the storm came up. It was one of those cyclonic14 winds that whip off the tops of the trees and blow the roofs from unsubstantial edifices15. The thunder was a ceaseless reverberation—the lightning was pink and made the sky seem like a glistening16 inverted17 shell.
Cousin Annabel hated thunder-storms and said so. “I think I shall go to my room, Frederick.”
“You are not a bit safer up there than here,” Towne told her.
“But I feel safer, Frederick.” She was very decided18 about it. What she meant to do was to sit in the middle of her bed and have her maid give her[285] the smelling salts. She would be thus in a sense fortified19.
So she went up and Baldy and Edith wandered across the hall to the library, where Edith insisted they could observe other aspects of the storm.
Jane and her lover were left alone, and presently Frederick was called to the telephone.
“I’m not sure that it’s safe, sir, in this storm,” Waldron warned.
“Nonsense, Waldron,” Towne said, and stepped quickly across the polished floor.
Thus it happened that Jane sat by herself in the great drawing-room of the Ice Palace, while the wind howled, and the rain streamed down the window glass, and all the evil things in the world seemed let loose.
And she was afraid!
Not of the storm, but of the great house. She was so small and it was so big. Her own little cottage clasped her in its warm embrace. This great mansion21 stood away from her—as the sky stands away from the desert. All the rest of her life she would be going up and down those great stairs, sitting in front of this great fireplace, presiding at the far end of Frederick’s great table—dwarfed by it all, losing personality, individuality, bidding good-bye forever to little Jane Barnes, becoming until death parted them the wife of Frederick Towne.
She sat huddled22 in her chair, panting a little, her eyes wide.
[286]“Silly,” she said with a sob23.
The sound of her voice echoed and re?choed, “Silly, silly, silly.”
The noise without was deafening—the wind shook the walls. She stood up, her hands clenched24, then ran swiftly into the hall.
A thundering crash and the lights went out.
She heard Frederick calling, “Jane, Jane!”
She called back, “I’m here,” and saw the quick spurt25 of a match as he lighted it, holding it up and peering into the dark.
“There you are, my dearest.” He lighted another match and came towards her, as Waldron, with a brace20 of candles, appeared in one door and Baldy and Edith in another.
Frederick lifted Jane in his strong arms. “Why, you’re crying,” he said; “don’t, my darling, don’t.”
Then Baldy came up and demanded, “What’s the matter, Kitten? You’ve never been afraid of storms.”
She tried to smile at him. “Well, I’ve gone through such a lot lately.” But Baldy wasn’t satisfied. A Jane who dissolved into tears was a disturbing and desolating26 object. He glowered27 at Frederick, holding him responsible.
At this moment Waldron reappeared to say that Briggs had pronounced the streets impassable. Branches had been blown down—and there was other wreckage28.
“That settles it,” Frederick said. “You two[287] young things may as well stay here for the night. Jane’s not fit to go out anyhow.”
“Oh, I’m all right,” she protested.
Edith suggested bridge, so they played for a while. The big room was still lighted by the candles, so that the shadows pressed close. Jane was very pale, and now and then Frederick looked at her anxiously.
“You and Edith had better go up,” he said at last. “And you must have Alice get you some hot milk—I’ll send Waldron with a bit of cordial to set you up.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want it.”
“But I want you to have it.” There was a note of authority which almost brought her again to tears. She hated to have anyone tell her what she should do. She liked to do as she pleased. But later, when the glass of cordial came up to her, she drank it.
She did not go to sleep for a long time. Edith sat by the bed and talked to her. “I shouldn’t,” she apologized; “Uncle Fred told you to rest.”
Jane curled up among her pillows, and said rebelliously29, “Well, I don’t have to obey yet, do I?”
“Don’t ever obey.” Edith, in her winged chair with her Viking braids and the classic draperies of her white dressing-gown, looked like a Norse goddess. “Don’t ever obey, or you’ll make a tyrant30 out of him.”
“But I hate—fighting.”
[288]“You won’t have to fight. I do it because it’s my temperament31. But you can manage him—by letting things go a bit—and coaxing32 will do the rest——”
“I don’t want to manage—my husband,” said Jane.
“All women do——”
“Would you want to manage—Baldy?”
Edith flushed. “That’s different,” she evaded33.
“Not different. You know you wouldn’t go through life with him, pulling wires, making a puppet of him—of yourself—you want comradeship—understanding. You’ll flare34 up now and then. Baldy and I do. But—oh, we love each other.” Jane’s voice shook.
Edith looked at her thoughtfully. “Jane, are you happy?”
“I ought to be——”
“But are you?”
“I’m tired, I think. I don’t know. Ever since I came home I’ve been nervous. Perhaps it is the reaction.”
“Jane, I’m going to say something. Don’t marry Uncle Fred unless you’re—sure. I went through all that with Del. And you see how little I knew of what I had in my heart to give——” She stopped, her lovely face suffused35 with blushes. “I’ve learned—since then. And you mustn’t make my—mistake. And, Jane dear,” she leaned over the younger girl like some splendid angel, “don’t[289] worry about material things. Baldy and I will want you always with us——”
Jane sat up. “Are you going to marry Baldy?”
“I am,” sighing a little, “some day, when his ship comes in. He isn’t willing to share my cargo—yet.”
“He loves you,” said Jane, “dearly.”
Edith bent36 down and kissed her. “I know,” she said, “and my heart sings it.”
When Edith went away, they had not touched again on the question of Jane’s marriage. Jane, lying awake in the dark, reflected that of course Edith could not know of her debt to Frederick. No one knew except Baldy.
In the morning Towne had gone when Jane came down. She and Edith had had breakfast in their rooms—and there had been a great rose on Jane’s tray, with a note twisted about the stem—“To my golden girl.” Her lover had called her up by the house telephone, and had told her he was leaving for New York at noon. “A telegram has just come. I’ll see you the moment I get back.”
Jane had a sense of relief. She would have three days to herself. Three days at Sherwood—with the blossoming trees, and the mating birds, and Merrymaid and the kitten, and old Sophy with her wise philosophy—and Baldy on the other side of the little table—and Philomel singing....
Briggs took her out at noon, and Sophy came in to say, “Mr. Evans called you-all up. He’s back[290] fum New York. He say he’ll come over to-night.”
That was news indeed! Old Evans! Jane got into the frock of faded lilac gingham and went about the house singing. Three days! Of freedom!
It was after lunch that she told the old woman, “I’m going down in the Glen—there should be wild honeysuckle—Sophy.”
Sophy surveyed her. “The whole place is chock-full of flowers, Miss Janey. And I’ll miss my guess effen dey ain’ mo’ of ’em dis afternoon.”
“But—wild honeysuckle, Sophy? The florists37 haven’t that for me, have they?”
So Jane put on a wide-brimmed hat, and away she went down the long road with the pines on each side of it—the wide creek38, which washed in shallow ripples39 over the brown stones, or eddied40 in still pools under the great old willows41.
There were bees in the Glen and butterflies, and a cool silence. On the other side of the creek were pasture, and cattle grazing. But no human creature was in sight. Jane, walking along the narrow path, had a sense of utter peace. Here was familiar ground. She felt the welcome of inanimate things—the old willows, the singing stream, the great gray rocks that stuck their heads above the edges of the bank.
On the slope of the bank she saw the rosiness42 of the flowers she sought. She climbed up, picked the[291] fragrant sprays and sat down under a hickory tree to make a bouquet43. From where she sat she could view the broad stream and a rustic44 bridge just at a turn of the path.
And now, around the turn of the path, came suddenly a man and two boys. They carried fishing-rods and stopped at a jutting45 rock to bait their hooks. One of the boys went out on the bridge and cast his line. His voice came to Jane clearly.
“Mr. Follette, there’s a thing I hate to do, and that’s to bait my hook with a worm. I’d much rather put on something that wasn’t alive. Why is it that everything eats up something else?”
Jane peered down at the man poised46 on the rock. It was Evans! He was winding47 his reel against a taut48 line. “I’ve caught a snag,” he said; “look out, Sandy, there’s something on your hook.”
As they landed the small catch with much excitement, Jane was aware of the strong swing of Evans’ figure, the brown of his cheeks, the brightness of his glance as he spoke49 to the boys.
He gave the death stroke to the silver flapping fish with a jab of his knife-blade, and the boy on the bridge complained, “There you are, killing50 things. I don’t like it, do you? Everything we eat? The woods are full of killing. It is dreadful when we think of it.”
“It is dreadful.” Evans sat down on the rock and looked across at the boy on the bridge. “But there are more dreadful things than death—injustice,[292] and cruelty, and hate. And more than all—fear. And you must think of this, Arthur, that what we call a violent death is sometimes the easiest. An old animal with teeth gone, trying to exist. That’s dreadfulness. Or an old person racked by pains. Much better if both could have been dead in the glory of youth.”
He had always had that quick and vivid voice, but this certainty of phrase was a resurrection. He spoke without hesitation51. Sure of himself. Sure of the things he was about to say.
“You boys needn’t think that I don’t know what I am talking about. I do. When I came back from France there was something wrong. I was afraid of everything. I lived for months in dread of my shadow. It was awful. Nothing can be worse. Then, one night I came to see that God’s greatest gift to man is—strength to endure.”
He flung it at them—and their wide eyes answered him. After a moment Arthur said, huskily, “Gee, that’s great.”
Sandy sighed heavily. “I saw a picture the other day of a boy who wanted to play baseball, and he had to hold the baby. I reckon that’s what you mean. Most of us have to hold the baby when we want to play baseball.”
The others laughed, then young Arthur said, “It looks to me as if life is just one darned thing after another.”
“Not quite that.” Evans stood up. “I’m afraid[293] I’m an awful preacher,” he apologized, “but you will ask questions.”
“Most grown-ups don’t answer them,” said Arthur, earnestly; “they just say, ‘Be good and let who will be clever.’”
“They’d better say ‘Be strong.’” Evans was reeling in his line. “We must be getting towards home. Do you see those shadows? We’ll be late——”
He stopped suddenly. There had been the crack of a twig52 and he had turned his eyes towards the sound. And there, poised above him, her eyes lighted up, her hands held out to him, her hat off, the warm wind blowing her bobbed black hair, blowing, too, the folds of the lilac frock back from her slender figure, stood Jane ... Jane....
He went charging up the bank towards her.
“My dear,” he said, “my dear.”
That was all. But he was there, holding her hands, devouring53 her with his eyes.
Then he dropped her hands. “I thought you were a ghost,” he said, a little awkwardly. “I called you up this morning and Sophy said you were in town.”
“I came out at noon. The day was so perfect. I had to see the Glen.”
“It is perfect. When I found you were out, I got the boys. I am taking a half-holiday after my trip.”
He was talking naturally now, smiling up at her[294] as she stood above him. She found herself trembling, almost afraid to speak again lest her voice betray her. She had been more shaken than he by the encounter. She wondered at his ease.
She was to wonder more, as he walked home with her. The presence of the boys barred, of course, personalities54. But Evans’ clear eyes met hers without a shadow of self-consciousness. He asked her about her journey, about Judy, about the babies, about Bob. The only subject on which he did not touch was her marriage with Frederick Towne.
And so it happened that, woman-like, as they walked alone at last after the boys had left them in the little pine grove back of the house, that Jane said, “Evans, you haven’t wished me happiness.”
“No,” he said, and his eyes met hers squarely. “I think you might spare me that, Jane.”
She flushed. “Oh,” she said, “I’m sorry.”
He laid his hand for a moment on her shoulder. “Don’t be sorry, little Jane. But we won’t talk about it. That’s the best way for both of us—not to talk.”
He stayed to dinner, stayed for an hour or two afterward—fitting himself in pleasantly to former niches55. Jane could hardly credit the change in him. It was, she decided, not so much a resurrection of the body as of the spirit. His hair was gray, and now and then his eyes showed tired, his shoulders[295] sagged56. But there was no trace of the old timidity, the old withdrawals57. He was interested, responsive, at times buoyant. The things she had loved in him years ago were again there. This man did not think dark thoughts!
When he went away, she and Baldy stood together on the terrace in the warm darkness and watched him.
“He still limps a little,” Jane said.
“Yes. Shall we go in now, Jane?”
“No. Let’s sit on the steps and see the moon rise.”
They sat side by side. “When is Towne coming back?” Baldy asked.
“In three days.”
Tree-toads were shrilling58 in monotonous59 cadence—from far away came the plaintive60 note of a whippoorwill. But there was another plaintive note close at hand.
“Jane, you’re crying,” Baldy said, sharply. “What’s the matter, dear?”
He put his arm about her. “What’s the matter?”
“Baldy, I don’t want to get—married. I want to stay with you—forever——”
“You shall stay with me.”
She sobbed61 and sobbed, and he soothed62 her. “Little sister, little sister,” he said, “you are crying too much in these days.”
She sat up, wiped her eyes with his handkerchief,[296] smoothed her hair with shaking hands. “It is rather silly, Baldy.”
“Nothing of the kind, Janey. I knew the whole thing was a mistake.”
She stopped him with a touch of her hand on his arm. “Don’t,” she said, “it isn’t a mistake, Baldy. I was just a bit—low—in my mind——”
“Do you think I am going to let you marry Towne?”
There was a long silence. The bird in the Glen said, “Whippoorwill—whippoorwill,” in dull reiteration63, the tree-toads shrilled64, the rising moon drew a line of gold across the horizon.
At last Jane spoke. “Dearest, I must marry him. There’s no way out. He’s done so much for me—and some day, perhaps, I’ll love him.”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 fragrance 66ryn     
n.芬芳,香味,香气
参考例句:
  • The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
  • The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。
2 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
3 constrained YvbzqU     
adj.束缚的,节制的
参考例句:
  • The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服,他觉得不得不接受。
  • I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。
4 afterward fK6y3     
adv.后来;以后
参考例句:
  • Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏,然后吃饭。
  • Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来,这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。
5 grove v5wyy     
n.林子,小树林,园林
参考例句:
  • On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
  • The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。
6 fragrant z6Yym     
adj.芬香的,馥郁的,愉快的
参考例句:
  • The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
  • The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。
7 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕
参考例句:
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
8 adoration wfhyD     
n.爱慕,崇拜
参考例句:
  • He gazed at her with pure adoration.他一往情深地注视着她。
  • The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
9 dread Ekpz8     
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧
参考例句:
  • We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
  • Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。
10 drudgery CkUz2     
n.苦工,重活,单调乏味的工作
参考例句:
  • People want to get away from the drudgery of their everyday lives.人们想摆脱日常生活中单调乏味的工作。
  • He spent his life in pointlessly tiresome drudgery.他的一生都在做毫无意义的烦人的苦差事。
11 deferred 43fff3df3fc0b3417c86dc3040fb2d86     
adj.延期的,缓召的v.拖延,延缓,推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 );服从某人的意愿,遵从
参考例句:
  • The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
  • a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划
12 veins 65827206226d9e2d78ea2bfe697c6329     
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理
参考例句:
  • The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的,感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 transformation SnFwO     
n.变化;改造;转变
参考例句:
  • Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
  • He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。
14 cyclonic ccbb49340e4eaefe06e7638172fcbc84     
adj.气旋的,飓风的
参考例句:
  • The anticyclone weather situations are more favorable than the cyclonic ones. 反气旋天气情况比气旋天气情况更有利些。 来自辞典例句
  • We studied the interaction between a typhoon and a cyclonic vortex. 研究一个台风涡旋和一个低压涡旋之间的相互作用。 来自互联网
15 edifices 26c1bcdcaf99b103a92f85d17e87712e     
n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • They complain that the monstrous edifices interfere with television reception. 他们抱怨说,那些怪物般的庞大建筑,干扰了电视接收。 来自辞典例句
  • Wealthy officials and landlords built these queer edifices a thousand years ago. 有钱的官吏和地主在一千年前就修建了这种奇怪的建筑物。 来自辞典例句
16 glistening glistening     
adj.闪耀的,反光的v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
  • Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》
17 inverted 184401f335d6b8661e04dfea47b9dcd5     
adj.反向的,倒转的v.使倒置,使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Only direct speech should go inside inverted commas. 只有直接引语应放在引号内。
  • Inverted flight is an acrobatic manoeuvre of the plane. 倒飞是飞机的一种特技动作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
19 fortified fortified     
adj. 加强的
参考例句:
  • He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
  • The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。
20 brace 0WzzE     
n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备
参考例句:
  • My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
  • You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。
21 mansion 8BYxn     
n.大厦,大楼;宅第
参考例句:
  • The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
  • The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。
22 huddled 39b87f9ca342d61fe478b5034beb4139     
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
  • We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。
23 sob HwMwx     
n.空间轨道的轰炸机;呜咽,哭泣
参考例句:
  • The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
  • The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答,也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。
24 clenched clenched     
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
  • She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上,以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 spurt 9r9yE     
v.喷出;突然进发;突然兴隆
参考例句:
  • He put in a spurt at the beginning of the eighth lap.他进入第八圈时便开始冲刺。
  • After a silence, Molly let her anger spurt out.沉默了一会儿,莫莉的怒气便迸发了出来。
26 desolating d64f321bd447cfc8006e822cc7cb7eb5     
毁坏( desolate的现在分词 ); 极大地破坏; 使沮丧; 使痛苦
参考例句:
  • Most desolating were those evenings the belle-mere had envisaged for them. 最最凄凉的要数婆婆给她们设计的夜晚。
27 glowered a6eb2c77ae3214b63cde004e1d79bc7f     
v.怒视( glower的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He just glowered without speaking. 他一言不发地皱眉怒视我。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He glowered at me but said nothing. 他怒视着我,却一言不发。 来自辞典例句
28 wreckage nMhzF     
n.(失事飞机等的)残骸,破坏,毁坏
参考例句:
  • They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
  • New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。
29 rebelliously cebb4afb4a7714d3d2878f110884dbf2     
adv.造反地,难以控制地
参考例句:
  • He rejected her words rebelliously. 他极力反对她的观点。 来自互联网
30 tyrant vK9z9     
n.暴君,专制的君主,残暴的人
参考例句:
  • The country was ruled by a despotic tyrant.该国处在一个专制暴君的统治之下。
  • The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves.暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。
31 temperament 7INzf     
n.气质,性格,性情
参考例句:
  • The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
  • Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。
32 coaxing 444e70224820a50b0202cb5bb05f1c2e     
v.哄,用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 );巧言骗取;哄劝,劝诱;“锻炼”效应
参考例句:
  • No amount of coaxing will make me change my mind. 任你费尽口舌也不会说服我改变主意。
  • It took a lot of coaxing before he agreed. 劝说了很久他才同意。 来自辞典例句
33 evaded 4b636015da21a66943b43217559e0131     
逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 ); 避开; 回避; 想不出
参考例句:
  • For two weeks they evaded the press. 他们有两周一直避而不见记者。
  • The lion evaded the hunter. 那狮子躲开了猎人。
34 flare LgQz9     
v.闪耀,闪烁;n.潮红;突发
参考例句:
  • The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
  • You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。
35 suffused b9f804dd1e459dbbdaf393d59db041fc     
v.(指颜色、水气等)弥漫于,布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Her face was suffused with colour. 她满脸通红。
  • Her eyes were suffused with warm, excited tears. 她激动地热泪盈眶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
36 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
37 florists b144baeff0a8df843a6a577e7473f3ca     
n.花商,花农,花卉研究者( florist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The little dressmaker bought an envelope of nasturtium seeds at the florists. 那个个子矮小的女裁缝在花铺里买了一包金莲花种子。 来自辞典例句
  • I have more important things to do than petulant florists. 我有比教训坏脾气的花匠更重要的事情要做。 来自互联网
38 creek 3orzL     
n.小溪,小河,小湾
参考例句:
  • He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
  • People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。
39 ripples 10e54c54305aebf3deca20a1472f4b96     
逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
  • The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。
40 eddied 81bd76acbbf4c99f8c2a72f8dcb9f4b6     
起漩涡,旋转( eddy的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
  • The mist eddied round the old house. 雾气回旋在这栋老房子的四周。
41 willows 79355ee67d20ddbc021d3e9cb3acd236     
n.柳树( willow的名词复数 );柳木
参考例句:
  • The willows along the river bank look very beautiful. 河岸边的柳树很美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Willows are planted on both sides of the streets. 街道两侧种着柳树。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
42 rosiness 0cfd60579ff98627d8440dbbbe047849     
n.玫瑰色;淡红色;光明;有希望
参考例句:
  • There is a kind of musical-comedy rosiness about the novel. 那本小说有一种音乐喜剧的愉快气氛。 来自辞典例句
  • She was flushed like the dawn, with a kind of luminous rosiness all about her. 她满脸象朝霞一样的通红,浑身上下有一种玫瑰色的光彩。 来自辞典例句
43 bouquet pWEzA     
n.花束,酒香
参考例句:
  • This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
  • Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
44 rustic mCQz9     
adj.乡村的,有乡村特色的;n.乡下人,乡巴佬
参考例句:
  • It was nearly seven months of leisurely rustic living before Michael felt real boredom.这种悠闲的乡村生活过了差不多七个月之后,迈克尔开始感到烦闷。
  • We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.我们希望新鲜的空气和乡村的氛围能帮他调整自己。
45 jutting 4bac33b29dd90ee0e4db9b0bc12f8944     
v.(使)突出( jut的现在分词 );伸出;(从…)突出;高出
参考例句:
  • The climbers rested on a sheltered ledge jutting out from the cliff. 登山者在悬崖的岩棚上休息。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The soldier saw a gun jutting out of some bushes. 那士兵看见丛林中有一枝枪伸出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
46 poised SlhzBU     
a.摆好姿势不动的
参考例句:
  • The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋,准备俯冲。
  • Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张,手悬在电话机上。
47 winding Ue7z09     
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈
参考例句:
  • A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
  • The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
48 taut iUazb     
adj.拉紧的,绷紧的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • The bowstring is stretched taut.弓弦绷得很紧。
  • Scarlett's taut nerves almost cracked as a sudden noise sounded in the underbrush near them. 思嘉紧张的神经几乎一下绷裂了,因为她听见附近灌木丛中突然冒出的一个声音。
49 spoke XryyC     
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:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
50 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
51 hesitation tdsz5     
n.犹豫,踌躇
参考例句:
  • After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
  • There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
52 twig VK1zg     
n.小树枝,嫩枝;v.理解
参考例句:
  • He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
  • The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。
53 devouring c4424626bb8fc36704aee0e04e904dcf     
吞没( devour的现在分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光
参考例句:
  • The hungry boy was devouring his dinner. 那饥饿的孩子狼吞虎咽地吃饭。
  • He is devouring novel after novel. 他一味贪看小说。
54 personalities ylOzsg     
n. 诽谤,(对某人容貌、性格等所进行的)人身攻击; 人身攻击;人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
  • Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。
55 niches 8500e82896dd104177b4cfd5842b1a09     
壁龛( niche的名词复数 ); 合适的位置[工作等]; (产品的)商机; 生态位(一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位)
参考例句:
  • Some larvae extend the galleries to form niches. 许多幼虫将坑道延伸扩大成壁龛。
  • In his view differences in adaptation are insufficient to create niches commensurate in number and kind. 按照他的观点,适应的差异不足以在数量上和种类上形成同量的小生境。
56 sagged 4efd2c4ac7fe572508b0252e448a38d0     
下垂的
参考例句:
  • The black reticule sagged under the weight of shapeless objects. 黑色的拎包由于装了各种形状的东西而中间下陷。
  • He sagged wearily back in his chair. 他疲倦地瘫坐到椅子上。
57 withdrawals e8b79ee63bd5060c582d7b93a43ec3dd     
n.收回,取回,撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 );撤退,撤走;收回[取回,撤回,撤退,撤走]的实例;推出(组织),提走(存款),戒除毒瘾,对说过的话收回,孤僻
参考例句:
  • He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句
58 shrilling 7d58b87a513bdd26d5679b45c9178d0d     
(声音)尖锐的,刺耳的,高频率的( shrill的现在分词 ); 凄厉
参考例句:
  • The music of the pearl was shrilling with triumph in Kino. 珍珠之歌在基诺心里奏出胜利的旋律。
59 monotonous FwQyJ     
adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的
参考例句:
  • She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
  • His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律,一个调调儿。
60 plaintive z2Xz1     
adj.可怜的,伤心的
参考例句:
  • Her voice was small and plaintive.她的声音微弱而哀伤。
  • Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里,一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
61 sobbed 4a153e2bbe39eef90bf6a4beb2dba759     
哭泣,啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 ); 哭诉,呜咽地说
参考例句:
  • She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
  • She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。
62 soothed 509169542d21da19b0b0bd232848b963     
v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 );抚慰;使舒服;减轻痛苦
参考例句:
  • The music soothed her for a while. 音乐让她稍微安静了一会儿。
  • The soft modulation of her voice soothed the infant. 她柔和的声调使婴儿安静了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
63 reiteration 0ee42f99b9dea0668dcb54375b6551c4     
n. 重覆, 反覆, 重说
参考例句:
  • The reiteration of this figure, more than anything else, wrecked the conservative chance of coming back. 重申这数字,比其它任何事情更能打消保守党重新上台的机会。
  • The final statement is just a reiteration of U.S. policy on Taiwan. 艾瑞里?最后一个声明只是重复宣读美国对台政策。
64 shrilled 279faa2c22e7fe755d14e94e19d7bb10     
(声音)尖锐的,刺耳的,高频率的( shrill的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Behind him, the telephone shrilled. 在他身后,电话铃刺耳地响了起来。
  • The phone shrilled, making her jump. 电话铃声刺耳地响起,惊得她跳了起来。


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