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首页 » 英文短篇小说 » Adela Cathcart » CHAPTER IV. THE EVENING AT THE CURATE'S.
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CHAPTER IV. THE EVENING AT THE CURATE'S.
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 As I led Adela, well wrapped in furs, down the steps to put her into the carriage, I felt by the wind, and saw by the sky, that a snowstorm was at hand. This set my heart beating with delight, for after all I am only what my friends call me—an old boy; and so I am still very fond of snow and wind. Of course this pleasure is often modified by the recollection that it is to most people no pleasure, and to some a source of great suffering. But then I recover myself by thinking, that I did not send for the snow, and that my enjoyment1 of it will neither increase their pains nor lessen2 my sympathies. And so I enjoy it again with all my heart. It is partly the sense of being lapt in a mysterious fluctuating depth of exquisite3 shapes of evanescent matter, falling like a cataract4 from an unknown airy gulf5, where they grow into being and form out of the invisible—well-named by the prophet Job—for a prophet he was in the truest sense, all-seated in his ashes and armed with his potsherd—the womb of the snow; partly the sense of motion and the goings of the wind through the etherial mass; partly the delight that always comes from contest with nature, a contest in which no vile6 passions are aroused, and no weak enemy goes helpless to the ground. I presume that in a right condition of our nervous nature, instead of our being, as some would tell us, less exposed to the influences of nature, we should in fact be altogether open to them. Our nerves would be a thorough-fare for Nature in all and each of her moods and feelings, stormy or peaceful, sunshiny or sad. The true refuge from the slavery to which this would expose us, the subjection of man to circumstance, is to be found, not in the deadening of the nervous constitution, or in a struggle with the influences themselves, but in the strengthening of the moral and refining of the spiritual nature; so that, as the storms rave7 through the vault8 of heaven without breaking its strong arches with their winds, or staining its etherial blue with their rain-clouds, the soul of man should keep clear and steady and great, holding within it its own feelings and even passions, knowing that, let them moan or rave as they will, they cannot touch the nearest verge9 of the empyrean dome10, in whose region they have their birth and being.
 
For me, I felt myself now, just an expectant human snow-storm; and as I sat on the box by the coachman, I rejoiced to greet the first flake11, which alighted on the tip of my nose even before we had cleared our own grounds. Before we had got up street, the wind had risen, and the snow thickened, till the horses seemed inclined to turn their tails to the hill and the storm together, for the storm came down the hill in their faces. It was soon impossible to see one's hand before one's eyes; and the carriage lamps served only to reveal a chaotic12 fury of snow-flakes, crossing each other's path at all angles, in the eddies13 of the wind amongst the houses. The coachman had to keep encouraging his horses to get them to face it at all. The ground was very slippery; and so fast fell the snow, that it had actually begun to ball in the horses' feet before we reached our destination. When we were all safe in Mrs. Armstrong's drawing-room, we sat for a while listening to the wind roaring in the chimney, before any of us spoke14. And then I did not join in the conversation, but pleased myself with looking at the room; for next to human faces, I delight in human abodes15, which will always, more or less, according to the amount of choice vouchsafed16 in the occupancy, be like the creatures who dwell in them. Even the soldier-crab must have some likeness17 to the snail18 of whose house he takes possession, else he could not live in it at all.
 
The first thing to be done by one who would read a room is, to clear it as soon as possible of the air of the marvellous, the air of the storybook, which pervades19 every place at the first sight of it. But I am not now going to write a treatise20 upon this art, for which I have not time to invent a name; but only to give as much of a description of this room as will enable my readers to feel quite at home with us in it, during our evening there. It was a large low room, with two beams across the ceiling at unequal distances. There was only a drugget on the floor, and the window curtains were scanty22. But there was a glorious fire on the hearth23, and the tea-board was filled with splendid china, as old as the potteries24. The chairs, I believe, had been brought from old Mr. Armstrong's lumber-room, and so they all looked as if they could tell stories themselves. At all events they were just the proper chairs to tell stories in, and I could not help regretting that we were not to have any to-night. The rest of the company had arrived before us. A warm corner in an old-fashioned sofa had been prepared for Adela, and as soon as she was settled in it, our hostess proceeded to pour out the tea with a simplicity25 and grace which showed that she had been just as much a lady when carrying parcels for the dressmaker, and would have been a lady if she had been a housemaid. Such a women are rare in every circle, the best of every kind being rare. It is very disappointing to the imaginative youth when, coming up to London and going into society, he finds that so few of the men and women he meets, come within the charmed circle of his ideal refinement26.
 
I said to myself: "I am sure she could write a story if she would. I must have a try for one from her."
 
When tea was over, she looked at her husband, and then went to the piano, and sang the following ballad27:
 
  "'Traveller, what lies over the hill?
    Traveller, tell to me:
  I am only a child—from the window-sill
    Over I cannot see.'
 
  "'Child, there's a valley over there,
    Pretty and woody and shy;
  And a little brook28 that says—'take care,
    Or I'll drown you by and by.'
 
  "'And what comes next?' 'A little town;
    And a towering hill again;
  More hills and valleys, up and down,
    And a river now and then.'
 
  "'And what comes next?' 'A lonely moor30,
    Without a beaten way;
  And grey clouds sailing slow, before
    A wind that will not stay.'
 
  "'And then?' 'Dark rocks and yellow sand,
    And a moaning sea beside.'
  'And then?' 'More sea, more sea more land,
    And rivers deep and wide.'
 
  "'And then?' 'Oh! rock and mountain and vale,
    Rivers and fields and men;
  Over and over—a weary tale—
    And round to your home again.'
 
  "'Is that the end? It is weary at best.'
    'No, child; it is not the end.
  On summer eves, away in the west,
    You will see a stair ascend31;
 
  "'Built of all colours of lovely stones—
    A stair up into the sky;
  Where no one is weary, and no one moans,
    Or wants to be laid by.'
 
  "'I will go.' 'But the steps are very steep:
    If you would climb up there,
  You must lie at its foot, as still as sleep,
    And be a step of the stair,
 
  "'For others to put their feet on you,
    To reach the stones high-piled;
  Till Jesus comes and takes you too,
    And leads you up, my child!'"
"That is one of your parables33, I am sure, Ralph," said the doctor, who was sitting, quite at his ease, on a footstool, with his back against the wall, by the side of the fire opposite to Adela, casting every now and then a glance across the fiery34 gulf, just as he had done in church when I first saw him. And Percy was there to watch them, though, from some high words I overheard, I had judged that it was with difficulty his mother had prevailed on him to come. I could not help thinking myself, that two pairs of eyes met and parted rather oftener than any other two pairs in the room; but I could find nothing to object.
 
"Now, Miss Cathcart, it is your turn to sing."
 
"Would you mind singing another of Heine's songs?" said the doctor, as he offered his hand to lead her to the piano.
 
"No," she answered. "I will not sing one of that sort. It was not liked last time. Perhaps what I do sing won't be much better though.
 
  "The waters are rising and flowing
     Over the weedy stone—
   Over and over it going:
     It is never gone.
 
  "So joy on joy may go sweeping35
     Over the head of pain—
   Over and over it leaping:
     It will rise again."
"Very lovely, but not much better than what I asked for. In revenge, I will give you one of Heine's that my brother translated. It always reminds me, with a great difference, of one in In Memoriam, beginning: Dark house."
 
So spake Harry36, and sang:
 
  "The shapes of the days forgotten
    Out of their graves arise,
  And show me what once my life was,
    In the presence of thine eyes.
 
  "All day through the streets I wandered,
    As in dreams men go and come;
  The people in wonder looked at me,
    I was so mournful dumb.
 
  "It was better though, at night-fall,
    When, through the empty town,
  I and my shadow together
    Went silent up and down.
 
  "With echoing, echoing footstep,
    Over the bridge I walk;
  The moon breaks out of the waters,
    And looks as if she would talk.
 
  "I stood still before thy dwelling37,
    Like a tree that prays for rain;
  I stood gazing up at thy window—
    My heart was in such pain.
 
  "And thou lookedst through thy curtains—
    I saw thy shining hand;
  And thou sawest me, in the moonlight,
    Still as a statue stand."
"Excuse me," said Mrs. Cathcart, with a smile, "but I don't think such sentimental39 songs good for anybody. They can't be healthy—I believe that is the word they use now-a-days."
 
"I don't say they are," returned the doctor; "but many a pain is relieved by finding its expression. I wish he had never written worse."
 
"That is not why I like them," said the curate. "They seem to me to hold the same place in literature that our dreams do in life. If so much of our life is actually spent in dreaming, there must be some place in our literature for what corresponds to dreaming. Even in this region, we cannot step beyond the boundaries of our nature. I delight in reading Lord Bacon now; but one of Jean Paul's dreams will often give me more delight than one of Bacon's best paragraphs. It depends upon the mood. Some dreams like these, in poetry or in sleep, arouse individual states of consciousness altogether different from any of our waking moods, and not to be recalled by any mere40 effort of the will. All our being, for the moment, has a new and strange colouring. We have another kind of life. I think myself, our life would be much poorer without our dreams; a thousand rainbow tints41 and combinations would be gone; music and poetry would lose many an indescribable exquisiteness42 and tenderness. You see I like to take our dreams seriously, as I would even our fun. For I believe that those new mysterious feelings that come to us in sleep, if they be only from dreams of a richer grass and a softer wind than we have known awake, are indications of wells of feeling and delight which have not yet broken out of their hiding-places in our souls, and are only to be suspected from these rings of fairy green that spring up in the high places of our sleep."
 
"I say, Ralph," interrupted Harry, "just repeat that strangest of Heine's ballads43, that—"
 
"Oh, no, no; not that one. Mrs. Cathcart would not like it at all."
 
"Yes, please do," said Adela.
 
"Pray don't think of me, gentlemen," said the aunt.
 
"No, I won't," said the curate.
 
"Then I will," said the doctor, with a glance at Adela, which seemed to say—"If you want it, you shall have it, whether they like it or not."
 
He repeated, with just a touch of the recitative in his tone, the following verses:
 
  "Night lay upon mine eyelids44;
    Upon my mouth lay lead;
  With withered45 heart and sinews,
    I lay among the dead.
 
  "How long I lay and slumbered47,
    I knew not in the gloom.
  I wakened up, and listened
    To a knocking at my tomb.
 
  "'Wilt48 thou not rise, my Henry?
    Immortal49 day draws on;
  The dead are all arisen;
    The endless joy begun.'
 
  "'My love, I cannot raise me;
    Nor could I find the door;
  My eyes with bitter weeping
    Are blind for evermore.'
 
  "'But from thine eyes, dear Henry,
    I'll kiss away the night;
  Thou shall behold50 the angels,
    And Heaven's own blessed light.'
 
  "'My love, I cannot raise me;
    The blood is flowing still,
  Where thou, heart-deep, didst stab me,
    With a dagger-speech, to kill.'
 
  "'Oh! I will lay my hand, Henry,
    So soft upon thy heart;
  And that will stop the bleeding—
    Stop all the bitter smart.'
 
  "'My love, I cannot raise me;
    My head is bleeding too.
  When thou wast stolen from me,
    I shot it through and through.'
 
  "'With my thick hair, my Henry,
    I will stop the fountain red;
  Press back again the blood-stream,
    And heal thy wounded head.'
 
  "She begged so soft, so dearly,
    I could no more say no;
  Writhing51, I strove to raise me,
    And to the maiden52 go.
 
  "Then the wounds again burst open;
    And afresh the torrents53 break
  From head and heart—life's torrents—
    And lo! I am awake."
"There now, that is enough!" said the curate. "That is not nice—is it, Mrs. Cathcart?"
 
Mrs. Cathcart smiled, and said:
 
"I should hardly have thought your time well-spent in translating it, Mr. Armstrong."
 
"It took me a few idle minutes only," said the curate. "But my foolish brother, who has a child's fancy for horrid54 things, took a fancy to that; and so he won't let my sins be forgotten. But I will take away the taste of it with another of Heine's, seeing we have fallen upon him. I should never have dreamed of introducing him here. It was Miss Cathcart's first song that opened the vein55, I believe."
 
"I am the guilty person," said Adela; "and I fear I am not sorry for my sins—the consequences have been too pleasant. Do go on, Mr. Armstrong."
 
He repeated:
 
"Peace.
 
 "High in the heavens the sun was glowing;
  Around him the white clouds, like waves, were flowing;
  The sea was very still and grey.
  Dreamily thinking as I lay,
  Close by the gliding56 vessel's wheel,
  A sleepless57 slumber46 did o'er me steal;
  And I saw the Christ, the healer of woe58,
  In white and waving garments go;
  Walking in giant form went he
  Over the land and sea.
  High in the heaven he towered his head,
  And his hands in blessing59 forth60 he spread
  Over the land and sea.
  And for a heart, O wonder meet!
  In his breast the sun did throb61 and beat;
  In his breast, for a heart to the only One,
  Shone the red, the flaming sun.
  The flaming red sunheart of the Lord
  Forth its gracious life-beams poured;
  Its fair and love-benignant light
  Softly shone, with warming might,
  Over the land and sea.
 
 "Sounds of solemn bells that go
  Through the still air to and fro,
  Draw, like swans, in a rosy62 band,
  The gliding ship to the grassy63 land,
  Where a mighty64 city, towered and high,
  Breaks and jags the line of the sky.
 
 "Oh, wonder of peach, how still was the town!
  The hollow tumult65 had all gone down
  Of the bustling66 and babbling67 trades.
  Men and women, and youths and maids,
  White clothes wearing,
  Palm branches bearing,
  Walked through the clean and echoing streets;
  And when one with another meets,
  They look at each other with eyes that tell
  That they understand each other well;
  And, trembling with love and sweet restraint,
  Each kisses the other upon the brow,
  And looks above, like a hoping saint,
  To the holy, healing sunheart's glow;
  Which atoning68 all, its red blood streams
  Downward in still outwelling beams;
  Till, threefold blessed, they call aloud,
  The single hearts of a happy crowd.
    Praised be Jesus Christ!"
"You will like that better," concluded the curate, again addressing Mrs. Cathcart.
 
"Fanciful," she answered. "I don't like fancies about sacred things."
 
"I fear, however," replied he, "that most of our serious thoughts about sacred things are little better than fancies."
 
"Sing that other of his about the flowers, and I promise you never to mention his name in this company again," said Harry.
 
"Very well, I will, on that condition," answered Ralph.
 
  "In the sunny summer morning
    Into the garden I come;
  The flowers are whispering and speaking,
    But I, I wander dumb.
 
  "The flowers are whispering and speaking,
    And they gaze at my visage wan32:
  'You must not be cross with our sister,
    You melancholy69 man!'"
"Is that all?" said Adela.
 
"Yes, that's all," answered the singer.
 
"But we cannot let you off with that only," she said.
 
"What an awful night it is!" interrupted the colonel, rising and going to the window to peep out. "Between me and the lamp, the air looks solid with driving snow."
 
"Sing one of your winter songs, Ralph," said the curate's wife. "This is surely stormy enough for one of your Scotch70 winters that you are so proud of."
 
Thus adjured71, Mr. Armstrong sang:
 
  "A morning clear, with frosty light
    From sunbeams late and low;
  They shine upon the snow so white,
    And shine back from the snow.
 
  "From icy spears a drop will run—
    Not fall: at afternoon,
  It shines a diamond for the sun,
    An opal for the moon.
 
  "And when the bright sad sun is low
    Behind the mountain-dome,
  A twilight72 wind will come, and blow
    All round the children's home;
 
  "And waft73 about the powdery snow,
    As night's dim footsteps pass;
  But waiting, in its grave below,
    Green lies the summer-grass."
"Now it seems to me," said the colonel, "though I am no authority in such matters, that it is just in such weather as this, that we don't need songs of that sort. They are not very exhilarating."
 
"There is truth in that," replied Mr. Armstrong. "I think it is in winter chiefly that we want songs of summer, as the Jews sang—if not the songs of Zion, yet of Zion, in a strange land. Indeed most of our songs are of this sort."
 
"Then sing one of your own summer songs."
 
"No, my dear; I would rather not. I don't altogether like them. Besides, if Harry could sing that Tryst74 of Schiller's, it would bring back the feeling of the summer better than any brooding over the remembrances of it could do."
 
"Did you translate that too?" I asked.
 
"Yes. As I told you, at one time of my life translating was a constant recreation to me. I have had many half-successes, some of which you have heard. I think this one better."
 
"What is the name of it?"
 
"It is 'Die Erwartung'—The Waiting, literally75, or Expectation. But the Scotch word Tryst (Rendezvous) is a better name for a poem, though English. It is often curious how a literal rendering76, even when it gives quite the meaning, will not do, because of the different ranks of the two words in their respective languages."
 
"I have heard you say," said Harry, "that the principles of the translation of lyrics77 have yet to be explored."
 
"Yes. But what I have just said, applies nearly as much to prose as to the verse.—Sing, Harry. You know it well enough."
 
"Part is in recitative,"
 
"So it is. Go on."
 
"To enter into the poem, you must suppose a lover waiting in an arbour for his lady-love. First come two recited lines of expectation; then two more, in quite a different measure, of disappointment; and then a long-lined song of meditation78; until expectation is again aroused, to be again disappointed—and so on through the poem.
 
"THE TRYST.
 
  "That was the wicket a-shaking!
  That was its clang as it fell!
    No, 'twas but the night-wind waking,
    And the poplars' answering swell79.
 
  Put on thy beauty, foliage-vaulted roof,
  To greet her entrance, radiant all with grace;
  Ye branches weave a holy tent, star-proof;
  With lovely darkness, silent, her embrace;
  Sweet, wandering airs, creep through the leafy woof,
  And toy and gambol80 round her rosy face,
  When with its load of beauty, lightly borne,
  Glides81 in the fairy foot, and brings my morn.
 
    Hush82! I hear timid, yet daring
    Steps that are almost a race!
      No, a bird—some terror scaring—
      Started from its roosting place.
 
  Quench83 thy sunk torch, Hyperion. Night, appear!
  Dim, ghostly Night, lone29 loveliness entrancing!
  Spread, purple blossoms, round us, in a sphere;
  Twin, lattice-boughs, the mystery enhancing;
  Love's joy would die, if more than two were here—
  She shuns84 the daybeam indiscreetly glancing.
  Eve's star alone—no envious85 tell-tale she—
  Gazes unblamed, from far across the sea.
 
    Hark! distant voices, that lightly
    Ripple86 the silence deep!
      No; the swans that, circling nightly,
      Through the silver waters sweep.
 
  Around me wavers an harmonious87 flow;
  The fountain's fall swells88 in delicious rushes;
  The flower beneath the west wind's kiss bends low;
  A trembling joy from each to all outgushes.
  Grape-clusters beckon89; peaches luring90 glow,
  Behind dark leaves hiding their crimson91 blushes;
  The winds, cooled with the sighs of flowers asleep,
  Light waves of odour o'er my forehead sweep.
 
    Hear I not echoing footfalls,
    Hither along the pleached walk?
      No; the over-ripened fruit falls
      Heavy-swollen, from off its stalk.
 
  Dull is the eye of day that flamed so bright;
  In gentle death, its colours all are dim;
  Unfolding fearless in the fair half light,
  The flower-cups ope, that all day closed their brim;
  Calm lifts the moon her clear face on the night;
  Dissolved in masses faint, Earth's features swim;
  Each grace withdraws the soft relaxing zone—
  Beauty unrobed shines full on me alone.
 
    See I not, there, a white shimmer92?—
    Something with pale silken shine?
      No; it is the column's glimmer93,
      'Gainst the gloomy hedge of pine.
 
  O longing94 heart! no more thyself delight
  With shadow-forms—a sweet deceiving pleasure;
  Filling thy arms but as the vault of night
  Infoldeth darkness without hope or measure.
  O lead the living beauty to my sight,
  That living love her loveliness may treasure!
  Let but her shadow fall across my eyes,
  And straight my dreams exulting95 truths will rise!
 
    And soft as, when, purple and golden,
    The clouds of the evening descend96,
      So had she drawn97 nigh unbeholden,
      And wakened with kisses her friend."
Never had song a stranger accompaniment than this song; for the air was full of fierce noises near and afar. Again the colonel went to the window. When he drew back the curtains, at Adela's request, and pulled up the blind, you might have fancied the dark wind full of snowy Banshees, fleeting98 and flickering99 by, and uttering strange ghostly cries of warning. The friends crowded into the bay-window, and stared out into the night with a kind of happy awe38. They pressed their brows against the panes100, in the vain hope of seeing where there was no light. Every now and then the wind would rush up against the window in fierce attack, as if the creatures that rode by upon the blast had seen the row of white faces, and it angered them to be thus stared at, and they rode their airy steeds full tilt101 against the thin rampart of glass that protected the human weaklings from becoming the spoil of their terrors.
 
While every one was silent with the intensity102 of this outlook, and with the awe of such an uproar103 of wild things without souls, there came a loud knock at the door, which was close to the window where they stood. Even the old colonel, whose nerves were as hard as piano-wires, started back and cried "God bless me!" The doctor, too, started, and began mechanically to button his coat, but said nothing. Adela gave a little suppressed scream, and ashamed of the weakness, crept away to her sofa-corner.
 
The servant entered, saying that Dr. Armstrong's man wanted to see him. Harry went into the passage, which was just outside the drawing-room, and the company overheard the following conversation, every word.
 
"Well, William?"
 
"There's a man come after you from Cropstone Farm, sir. His missus is took sudden."
 
"What?—It's not the old lady then? It's the young mistress?"
 
"Yes; she's in labour, sir; leastways she was—he's been three hours on the road. I reckon it's all over by this time.—You won't go, sir! It's morally unpossible."
 
"Won't go! It's morally impossible not. You knew I would go.—That's the mare104 outside."
 
"No, sir. It's Tilter105."
 
"Then you did think I wouldn't go! You knew well enough Tilter's no use for a job like this. The mare's my only chance."
 
"I beg your pardon, sir. I did not think you would go."
 
"Home with you, as hard as Tilter can drive—confound him!—And bring the mare instantly. She's had her supper?"
 
"I left her munching106, sir."
 
"Don't let her drink. I'll give her a quart of ale at Job Timpson's."
 
"You won't go that way, surely, sir?"
 
"It's the nearest; and the snow can't be very deep yet."
 
"I've brought your boots and breeches, sir."
 
"All right."
 
The man hurried out, and Harry was heard to run up stairs to his brother's room. The friends stared at each other in some perturbation. Presently Harry re-entered, in the articles last mentioned, saying—
 
"Ralph, have you an old shooting-coat you could lend me?"
 
"I should think so, Harry. I'll fetch you one."
 
Now at length the looks of the circle found some expression in the words of the colonel:
 
"Mr. Armstrong, I am an old soldier, and I trust I know what duty is. The only question is, Can this be done?"
 
"Colonel, no man can tell what can or cannot be done till he tries. I think it can."
 
The colonel held out his hand—his sole reply.
 
The schoolmaster and his wife ventured to expostulate. To them Harry made fun of the danger. Adela had come from the corner to which she had retreated, and joined the group. She laid her hand on Harry's arm, and he saw that she was pale as death.
 
"Don't go," she said.
 
As if to enforce her words, the street-door, which, I suppose, William had not shut properly, burst open with a bang against the wall, and the wind went shrieking107 through the house, as if in triumph at having forced an entrance.
 
"The woman is in labour," said Harry in reply to Adela, forgetting, in the stern reality both for the poor woman and himself, that girls of Adela's age and social position are not accustomed to hear such facts so plainly expressed, from a man's lips. Adela, however, simply accepted the fact, and replied:
 
"But you will be too late anyhow."
 
"Perhaps just in time," he answered, as his brother entered with a coat over his arm.
 
"Ralph," he went on, with a laugh, "they are trying to persuade me not to go."
 
"It is a tempting108 of Providence," said Mrs. Bloomfield.
 
"Harry, my boy," said the curate solemnly, "I would rather have you brought home dead to-morrow, than see you sitting by that fire five minutes after your mare comes. But you'll put on a great-coat?"
 
"No, thank you. I shall do much better without one. How comical I shall look in Farmer Prisphig's Sunday clothes! I'm not going to be lost this storm, Mrs. Bloomfield; for I second-see myself at this moment, sitting by the farmer's kitchen fire, in certain habiliments a world too wide for my unshrunk shanks, but doing my best to be worthy109 of them by the attention I am paying to my supper."
 
Here he stooped to Lizzie and whispered in her ear:
 
"Don't let them make a fuss about my going. There is really no particular danger. And I don't want my patient there frightened and thrown back, you know."
 
Mrs. Armstrong nodded a promise. In a moment more, Harry had changed his coat; for the storm had swept away ceremony at least. Lizzie ran and brought him a glass of wine; but he begged for a glass of milk instead, and was soon supplied; after which he buttoned up his coat, tightened110 the straps111 of his spurs, which had been brought slack on his boots, put on one of a thick pair of gloves which he found in his brother's coat, bade them all good night, drew on the other glove, and stood prepared to go.
 
Did he or did he not see Adela's eyes gazing out of her pale face with an expression of admiring apprehension112, as she stood bending forward, and looking up at the strong man about to fight the storm, and all ready to meet it? I don't know. I only put it to his conscience.
 
In a moment more, the knock came again—the only sign, for no one could hear the mare's hoofs113 in the wind and snow. With one glance and one good night, he hurried out. The wind once more, for a brief moment, held an infernal carnival114 in the house. They crowded to the window—saw a dim form heave up on horseback, and presently vanish. All space lay beyond; but, for them, he was swallowed up by the jaws115 of the darkness. They knew no more. A flash of pride in his brother shot from Ralph's eyes, as, with restrained excitement, for which he sought some outlet116, he walked towards the piano. His wife looked at Ralph with the same light of pride, tempered by thankfulness; for she knew, if he had been sent for, he would have gone all the same as Harry; but then he was not such a horseman as his brother. The fact was, he had neither seat nor hands, though no end of pluck.
 
"He will have to turn back," said the colonel. "He can't reach Cropstone Farm to-night. It lies right across the moor. It is impossible."
 
"Impossible things are always being done," said the curate, "else the world would have been all moor by this time."
 
"The wind is dead against him," said the schoolmaster.
 
"Better in front than in flank," said the colonel. "It won't blow him out of the saddle."
 
Adela had crept back to her corner, where she sat shading her eyes, and listening. I saw that her face was very pale. Lizzie joined her, and began talking to her.
 
I had not much fear for Harry, for I could not believe that his hour was come yet. I had great confidence in him and his mare. And I believed in the God that made Harry and the mare, and the storm too, through which he had sent them to the aid of one who was doing her part to keep his world going.
 
But now Mr. Armstrong had found a vent21 for his excitement in another of his winter songs, which might be very well for his mood, though it was not altogether suited to that of some of the rest of us. He sang—
 
  "Oh wildly wild the winter-blast
    Is whirling round the snow;
  The wintry storms are up at last,
    And care not how they go.
 
  In wreaths and mists, the frozen white
    Is torn into the air;
  It pictures, in the dreary117 light,
    An ocean in despair.
 
  Come, darkness! rouse the fancy more;
    Storm! wake the silent sea;
  Till, roaring in the tempest-roar,
    It rave to ecstasy118;
 
  And death-like figures, long and white,
    Sweep through the driving spray;
  And, fading in the ghastly night,
    Cry faintly far away."
I saw Adela shudder119. Presently she asked her papa whether it was not time to go home. Mrs. Armstrong proposed that she should stay all night; but she evidently wished to go. It would be rather perilous120 work to drive down the hill with the wind behind, in such a night, but a servant was sent to hasten the carriage notwithstanding. The colonel and Percy and I ran along side of it, ready to render any assistance that might be necessary; and, although we all said we had never been out in such an uproar of the elements, we reached home in safety.
 
As Adela bade us good night in the hall, I certainly felt very uneasy as to the effects of the night's adventures upon her—she looked so pale and wretched.
 
She did not come down to breakfast.
 
But she appeared at lunch, nothing the worse, and in very good spirits.
 
If I did not think that this had something to do with another fact I have come to the knowledge of since, I don't know that the particulars of the evening need have been related so minutely. The other fact was this: that in the grey dawn of the morning, by which time the snow had ceased, though the wind still blew, Adela saw from her window a weary rider and wearier horse pass the house, going up the street. The heads of both were sunk low. You might have thought the poor mare was looking for something she had lost last night in the snow; and perhaps it was not all fatigue121 with Harry Armstrong. Perhaps he was giving thanks that he had saved two lives instead of losing his own. He was not so absorbed, however, but that he looked up at the house as he passed, and I believe he saw the blind of her window drop back into its place.
 
But how did she come to be looking out just at the moment?
 
If a lady has not slept all night, and has looked out of window ninety-nine times before, it is not very wonderful that at the hundredth time she should see what she was looking for; that is, if the object desired has not been lost in the snow, or drowned in a moorland pit; neither of which had happened to Harry Armstrong. Nor is it unlikely that, after seeing what she has watched for, she will fall too fast asleep to be roused by the breakfast bell.
 

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
2 lessen 01gx4     
vt.减少,减轻;缩小
参考例句:
  • Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
  • They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。
3 exquisite zhez1     
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的
参考例句:
  • I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
  • I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。
4 cataract hcgyI     
n.大瀑布,奔流,洪水,白内障
参考例句:
  • He is an elderly gentleman who had had a cataract operation.他是一位曾经动过白内障手术的老人。
  • The way is blocked by the tall cataract.高悬的大瀑布挡住了去路。
5 gulf 1e0xp     
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂
参考例句:
  • The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
  • There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
6 vile YLWz0     
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的
参考例句:
  • Who could have carried out such a vile attack?会是谁发起这么卑鄙的攻击呢?
  • Her talk was full of vile curses.她的话里充满着恶毒的咒骂。
7 rave MA8z9     
vi.胡言乱语;热衷谈论;n.热情赞扬
参考例句:
  • The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
  • Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。
8 vault 3K3zW     
n.拱形圆顶,地窖,地下室
参考例句:
  • The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
  • The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
9 verge gUtzQ     
n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。
10 dome 7s2xC     
n.圆屋顶,拱顶
参考例句:
  • The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
  • They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。
11 flake JgTzc     
v.使成薄片;雪片般落下;n.薄片
参考例句:
  • Drain the salmon,discard the skin,crush the bones and flake the salmon with a fork.将鲑鱼沥干,去表皮,粉碎鱼骨并用餐叉子将鱼肉切成小薄片状。
  • The paint's beginning to flake.油漆开始剥落了。
12 chaotic rUTyD     
adj.混沌的,一片混乱的,一团糟的
参考例句:
  • Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
  • The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。
13 eddies c13d72eca064678c6857ec6b08bb6a3c     
(水、烟等的)漩涡,涡流( eddy的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Viscosity overwhelms the smallest eddies and converts their energy into heat. 粘性制服了最小的旋涡而将其能量转换为热。
  • But their work appears to merge in the study of large eddies. 但在大旋涡的研究上,他们的工作看来却殊途同归。
14 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。
15 abodes 9bcfa17ac7c6f4bca1df250af70f2ea6     
住所( abode的名词复数 ); 公寓; (在某地的)暂住; 逗留
参考例句:
  • Now he begin to dig near the abodes front legs. 目前他开端挖马前腿附近的土了。
  • They built a outstanding bulk of abodes. 她们盖了一大批房屋。
16 vouchsafed 07385734e61b0ea8035f27cf697b117a     
v.给予,赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 );允诺
参考例句:
  • He vouchsafed to me certain family secrets. 他让我知道了某些家庭秘密。
  • The significance of the event does, indeed, seem vouchsafed. 这个事件看起来确实具有重大意义。 来自辞典例句
17 likeness P1txX     
n.相像,相似(之处)
参考例句:
  • I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
  • She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。
18 snail 8xcwS     
n.蜗牛
参考例句:
  • Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
  • Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。
19 pervades 0f02439c160e808685761d7dc0376831     
v.遍及,弥漫( pervade的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • An unpleasant smell pervades the house. 一种难闻的气味弥漫了全屋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • An atmosphere of pessimism pervades the economy. 悲观的气氛笼罩着整个经济。 来自辞典例句
20 treatise rpWyx     
n.专著;(专题)论文
参考例句:
  • The doctor wrote a treatise on alcoholism.那位医生写了一篇关于酗酒问题的论文。
  • This is not a treatise on statistical theory.这不是一篇有关统计理论的论文。
21 vent yiPwE     
n.通风口,排放口;开衩;vt.表达,发泄
参考例句:
  • He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
  • When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时,发动机就会停转。
22 scanty ZDPzx     
adj.缺乏的,仅有的,节省的,狭小的,不够的
参考例句:
  • There is scanty evidence to support their accusations.他们的指控证据不足。
  • The rainfall was rather scanty this month.这个月的雨量不足。
23 hearth n5by9     
n.壁炉炉床,壁炉地面
参考例句:
  • She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来,在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
  • She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里,打开电灯。
24 potteries 0e451794cedbd47601e9411a30462382     
n.陶器( pottery的名词复数 );陶器厂;陶土;陶器制造(术)
参考例句:
  • Almost all potteries found in the tomb were sacrifices. 几乎所有在这个墓里找到的陶器都是祭品。 来自互联网
25 simplicity Vryyv     
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯
参考例句:
  • She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
  • The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。
26 refinement kinyX     
n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼
参考例句:
  • Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
  • Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。
27 ballad zWozz     
n.歌谣,民谣,流行爱情歌曲
参考例句:
  • This poem has the distinctive flavour of a ballad.这首诗有民歌风味。
  • This is a romantic ballad that is pure corn.这是一首极为伤感的浪漫小曲。
28 brook PSIyg     
n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让
参考例句:
  • In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
  • The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。
29 lone Q0cxL     
adj.孤寂的,单独的;唯一的
参考例句:
  • A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
  • She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。
30 moor T6yzd     
n.荒野,沼泽;vt.(使)停泊;vi.停泊
参考例句:
  • I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
  • There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。
31 ascend avnzD     
vi.渐渐上升,升高;vt.攀登,登上
参考例句:
  • We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
  • We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。
32 wan np5yT     
(wide area network)广域网
参考例句:
  • The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。
33 parables 8a4747d042698d9be03fa0681abfa84c     
n.(圣经中的)寓言故事( parable的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Jesus taught in parables. 耶酥以比喻讲道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • In the New Testament are the parables and miracles. 《新约》则由寓言利奇闻趣事构成。 来自辞典例句
34 fiery ElEye     
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的
参考例句:
  • She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
  • His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。
35 sweeping ihCzZ4     
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的
参考例句:
  • The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
  • Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗?
36 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
37 dwelling auzzQk     
n.住宅,住所,寓所
参考例句:
  • Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
  • He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。
38 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧
参考例句:
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
39 sentimental dDuzS     
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的
参考例句:
  • She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人,她相信姻缘命中注定。
  • We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。
40 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
41 tints 41fd51b51cf127789864a36f50ef24bf     
色彩( tint的名词复数 ); 带白的颜色; (淡色)染发剂; 痕迹
参考例句:
  • leaves with red and gold autumn tints 金秋时节略呈红黄色的树叶
  • The whole countryside glowed with autumn tints. 乡间处处呈现出灿烂的秋色。
42 exquisiteness 7cdeefa14b496a04cf14f5e868a3d627     
参考例句:
  • The exquisiteness and liveliness in Mr. Zhang Fengming's paintings apart from others. 张凤鸣老师的作品细致,生动,明显与其他人的作品有别。 来自互联网
  • As for beauty, it always leads"life"to the other world of nothingness with its terrifying exquisiteness. 至于“美” ,则总是以其恐怖的美把生带到虚无的彼岸。 来自互联网
43 ballads 95577d817acb2df7c85c48b13aa69676     
民歌,民谣,特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 ); 讴
参考例句:
  • She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
  • She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书,还教他唱两三首民谣,弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。
44 eyelids 86ece0ca18a95664f58bda5de252f4e7     
n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 );眼睛也不眨一下;不露声色;面不改色
参考例句:
  • She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了,眼睑开始往下垂。
  • Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
45 withered 342a99154d999c47f1fc69d900097df9     
adj. 枯萎的,干瘪的,(人身体的部分器官)因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
  • The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。
46 slumber 8E7zT     
n.睡眠,沉睡状态
参考例句:
  • All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
  • Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒,因为他需要休息。
47 slumbered 90bc7b1e5a8ccd9fdc68d12edbd1f200     
微睡,睡眠(slumber的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The baby slumbered in his cradle. 婴儿安睡在摇篮中。
  • At that time my virtue slumbered; my evil, kept awake by ambition. 就在那时,我的善的一面睡着了,我的邪恶面因野心勃勃而清醒着。
48 wilt oMNz5     
v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎;(指人)疲倦,衰弱
参考例句:
  • Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
  • Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。
49 immortal 7kOyr     
adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的
参考例句:
  • The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。
  • The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽!
50 behold jQKy9     
v.看,注视,看到
参考例句:
  • The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
  • The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。
51 writhing 8e4d2653b7af038722d3f7503ad7849c     
(因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。
  • He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。
52 maiden yRpz7     
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的
参考例句:
  • The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
  • The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。
53 torrents 0212faa02662ca7703af165c0976cdfd     
n.倾注;奔流( torrent的名词复数 );急流;爆发;连续不断
参考例句:
  • The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Sudden rainstorms would bring the mountain torrents rushing down. 突然的暴雨会使山洪暴发。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
54 horrid arozZj     
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的
参考例句:
  • I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
  • The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃,她咽不下去。
55 vein fi9w0     
n.血管,静脉;叶脉,纹理;情绪;vt.使成脉络
参考例句:
  • The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
  • The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。
56 gliding gliding     
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的
参考例句:
  • Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
  • The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。
57 sleepless oiBzGN     
adj.不睡眠的,睡不著的,不休息的
参考例句:
  • The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
  • One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上,我听说了一个传闻,把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。
58 woe OfGyu     
n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌
参考例句:
  • Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。
  • A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸,自认福是福。
59 blessing UxDztJ     
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
参考例句:
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
60 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
61 throb aIrzV     
v.震颤,颤动;(急速强烈地)跳动,搏动
参考例句:
  • She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。
  • The drums seemed to throb in his ears.阵阵鼓声彷佛在他耳边震响。
62 rosy kDAy9     
adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的
参考例句:
  • She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作,生活看上去很美好。
  • She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。
63 grassy DfBxH     
adj.盖满草的;长满草的
参考例句:
  • They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
  • Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。
64 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
65 tumult LKrzm     
n.喧哗;激动,混乱;吵闹
参考例句:
  • The tumult in the streets awakened everyone in the house.街上的喧哗吵醒了屋子里的每一个人。
  • His voice disappeared under growing tumult.他的声音消失在越来越响的喧哗声中。
66 bustling LxgzEl     
adj.喧闹的
参考例句:
  • The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
  • This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。
67 babbling babbling     
n.胡说,婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 );作潺潺声(如流水);含糊不清地说话;泄漏秘密
参考例句:
  • I could hear the sound of a babbling brook. 我听得见小溪潺潺的流水声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Infamy was babbling around her in the public market-place. 在公共市场上,她周围泛滥着对她丑行的种种议论。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
68 atoning 0d625a69f2d0eee5ccc6413a89aa5db3     
v.补偿,赎(罪)( atone的现在分词 );补偿,弥补,赎回
参考例句:
  • A legacy from Mrs. Jennings, was the easiest means of atoning for his own neglect. 詹宁斯太太的遗赠,是弥补他自己的失职的最简单、最容易的方法。 来自辞典例句
  • Their sins are washed away by Christ's atoning sacrifice. 耶稣为世人赎罪作出的牺牲,洗去了他们的罪过。 来自互联网
69 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过,他感到很郁闷。
70 scotch ZZ3x8     
n.伤口,刻痕;苏格兰威士忌酒;v.粉碎,消灭,阻止;adj.苏格兰(人)的
参考例句:
  • Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
  • Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景,真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。
71 adjured 54d0111fc852e2afe5e05a3caf8222af     
v.(以起誓或诅咒等形式)命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 );祈求;恳求
参考例句:
  • He adjured them to tell the truth. 他要求他们讲真话。
  • The guides now adjured us to keep the strictest silence. 这时向导恳求我们保持绝对寂静。 来自辞典例句
72 twilight gKizf     
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期
参考例句:
  • Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
  • Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。
73 waft XUbzV     
v.飘浮,飘荡;n.一股;一阵微风;飘荡
参考例句:
  • The bubble maker is like a sword that you waft in the air.吹出泡泡的东西就像你在空中挥舞的一把剑。
  • When she just about fall over,a waft of fragrance makes her stop.在她差点跌倒时,一股幽香让她停下脚步。
74 tryst lmowP     
n.约会;v.与…幽会
参考例句:
  • It has been said that art is a tryst,for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet.有人说艺术是一种幽会,因为艺术家和欣赏者可在幽会的乐趣中相遇在一起。
  • Poor Mr. Sanford didn't stand a chance of keeping his tryst secret.可怜的桑福德根本不可能会守住自己幽会的秘密。
75 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
76 rendering oV5xD     
n.表现,描写
参考例句:
  • She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
  • His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。
77 lyrics ko5zoz     
n.歌词
参考例句:
  • music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
  • The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。
78 meditation yjXyr     
n.熟虑,(尤指宗教的)默想,沉思,(pl.)冥想录
参考例句:
  • This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
  • I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉,我打断了你的沉思。
79 swell IHnzB     
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强
参考例句:
  • The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
  • His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。
80 gambol EQ2zm     
v.欢呼,雀跃
参考例句:
  • He determined to revisit the scene of the last evening's gambol.他决计再到昨晚嬉戏的地方去一趟。
  • He didn't play sports or a musical instrument,gamble at whist or gambol on a horse.他不做运动,不玩乐器,不赌博,不骑马。
81 glides 31de940e5df0febeda159e69e005a0c9     
n.滑行( glide的名词复数 );滑音;音渡;过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔
参考例句:
  • The new dance consists of a series of glides. 这种新舞蹈中有一连串的滑步。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The stately swan glides gracefully on the pond. 天鹅在池面上优美地游动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
82 hush ecMzv     
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静
参考例句:
  • A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
  • Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去!
83 quench ii3yQ     
vt.熄灭,扑灭;压制
参考例句:
  • The firemen were unable to quench the fire.消防人员无法扑灭这场大火。
  • Having a bottle of soft drink is not enough to quench my thirst.喝一瓶汽水不够解渴。
84 shuns dd5f935c6b9e32031559aab3ee2f3755     
v.避开,回避,避免( shun的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • We must not reproach her, or she shuns us. 我们可不要责备她,否则她要躲避我们。 来自辞典例句
  • Any of them shuns, impedes, or attempts at inspection. 一规避、妨碍或拒绝检查。 来自互联网
85 envious n8SyX     
adj.嫉妒的,羡慕的
参考例句:
  • I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
  • She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。
86 ripple isLyh     
n.涟波,涟漪,波纹,粗钢梳;vt.使...起涟漪,使起波纹; vi.呈波浪状,起伏前进
参考例句:
  • The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
  • The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来,碎在沙滩上。
87 harmonious EdWzx     
adj.和睦的,调和的,和谐的,协调的
参考例句:
  • Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals.他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
  • The room was painted in harmonious colors.房间油漆得色彩调和。
88 swells e5cc2e057ee1aff52e79fb6af45c685d     
增强( swell的第三人称单数 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情)
参考例句:
  • The waters were heaving up in great swells. 河水正在急剧上升。
  • A barrel swells in the middle. 水桶中部隆起。
89 beckon CdTyi     
v.(以点头或打手势)向...示意,召唤
参考例句:
  • She crooked her finger to beckon him.她勾勾手指向他示意。
  • The wave for Hawaii beckon surfers from all around the world.夏威夷的海浪吸引着世界各地的冲浪者前来。
90 luring f0c862dc1e88c711a4434c2d1ab2867a     
吸引,引诱(lure的现在分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap. 奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。
  • Her training warned her of peril and of the wrong, subtle, mysterious, luring. 她的教养警告她:有危险,要出错儿,这是微妙、神秘而又诱人的。
91 crimson AYwzH     
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色
参考例句:
  • She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
  • Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。
92 shimmer 7T8z7     
v./n.发微光,发闪光;微光
参考例句:
  • The room was dark,but there was a shimmer of moonlight at the window.屋子里很黑,但靠近窗户的地方有点微光。
  • Nor is there anything more virginal than the shimmer of young foliage.没有什么比新叶的微光更纯洁无瑕了。
93 glimmer 5gTxU     
v.发出闪烁的微光;n.微光,微弱的闪光
参考例句:
  • I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她,感到了一线希望。
  • A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。
94 longing 98bzd     
n.(for)渴望
参考例句:
  • Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
  • His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。
95 exulting 2f8f310798e5e8c1b9dd92ff6395ba84     
vi. 欢欣鼓舞,狂喜
参考例句:
  • He leaned back, exulting at the success of his plan. 他向后一靠,为自己计划成功而得意扬扬。
  • Jones was exulting in the consciousness of his integrity. 琼斯意识到自己的忠贞十分高兴。
96 descend descend     
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降
参考例句:
  • I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
  • We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
97 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
98 fleeting k7zyS     
adj.短暂的,飞逝的
参考例句:
  • The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
  • Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝,于是让自已尽情地享受。
99 flickering wjLxa     
adj.闪烁的,摇曳的,一闪一闪的
参考例句:
  • The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。
  • The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。
100 panes c8bd1ed369fcd03fe15520d551ab1d48     
窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The sun caught the panes and flashed back at him. 阳光照到窗玻璃上,又反射到他身上。
  • The window-panes are dim with steam. 玻璃窗上蒙上了一层蒸汽。
101 tilt aG3y0     
v.(使)倾侧;(使)倾斜;n.倾侧;倾斜
参考例句:
  • She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
  • The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平,有点儿歪.
102 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。
103 uproar LHfyc     
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸
参考例句:
  • She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
  • His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。
104 mare Y24y3     
n.母马,母驴
参考例句:
  • The mare has just thrown a foal in the stable.那匹母马刚刚在马厩里产下了一只小马驹。
  • The mare foundered under the heavy load and collapsed in the road.那母马因负载过重而倒在路上。
105 tilter 95d1ac9e0e8f54f8b4b251dcf09ca556     
倾斜体; 翻钢机
参考例句:
106 munching 3bbbb661207569e6c6cb6a1390d74d06     
v.用力咀嚼(某物),大嚼( munch的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果,但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句
107 shrieking abc59c5a22d7db02751db32b27b25dbb     
v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They were all shrieking with laughter. 他们都发出了尖锐的笑声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
108 tempting wgAzd4     
a.诱人的, 吸引人的
参考例句:
  • It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
  • It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。
109 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
110 tightened bd3d8363419d9ff838bae0ba51722ee9     
收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)变紧; (使)绷紧; 加紧
参考例句:
  • The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
  • His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机,然后又松开了。
111 straps 1412cf4c15adaea5261be8ae3e7edf8e     
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
参考例句:
  • the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
  • The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。
112 apprehension bNayw     
n.理解,领悟;逮捕,拘捕;忧虑
参考例句:
  • There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑,于是她越来越担心。
  • She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。
113 hoofs ffcc3c14b1369cfeb4617ce36882c891     
n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The stamp of the horse's hoofs on the wooden floor was loud. 马蹄踏在木头地板上的声音很响。 来自辞典例句
  • The noise of hoofs called him back to the other window. 马蹄声把他又唤回那扇窗子口。 来自辞典例句
114 carnival 4rezq     
n.嘉年华会,狂欢,狂欢节,巡回表演
参考例句:
  • I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
  • Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。
115 jaws cq9zZq     
n.口部;嘴
参考例句:
  • The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
  • The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。
116 outlet ZJFxG     
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄
参考例句:
  • The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
  • Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。
117 dreary sk1z6     
adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的
参考例句:
  • They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
  • She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。
118 ecstasy 9kJzY     
n.狂喜,心醉神怡,入迷
参考例句:
  • He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
  • Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具,高兴得说不出话来。
119 shudder JEqy8     
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动
参考例句:
  • The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
  • We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
120 perilous E3xz6     
adj.危险的,冒险的
参考例句:
  • The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
  • We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机,我们如今已安然无恙。
121 fatigue PhVzV     
n.疲劳,劳累
参考例句:
  • The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
  • I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。


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