"You come just in the right time, Smith," said the curate.—We had already dropped unnecessary prefixes3.—"Here is Mr. Bloomfield come to ask us to spend a final evening with him and Mrs. Bloomfield. And in the name of the whole company, I have taken upon me to assure him that it will give us pleasure. Am I not right?"
Bloomfield?"
"This day week," he answered. "Shall I tell you why I put it off so long?"
"If you please."
"I heard your brother, Mr. Armstrong, say that you were very fond of parables8. Now I have always had a leaning that way myself; and for years I have had one in particular glimmering9 before my mental sight. The ambition seized me, to write it out for one of our meetings, and so submit it to your judgment11; for, Mr. Armstrong, I am so delighted with your sermons and opinions generally, that I long to let you know that I am not only friendly, but capable of sympathizing with you. But it is only in the rough yet, and I want to have plenty of time to act the dutiful bear to my offspring, and lick it into thorough shape. So if you will come this day week, Mrs. Bloomfield and I will be delighted to entertain you in our humble13 fashion. But, bless me! the boys will be all in a heap of confusion worse confounded before I get back to them. I have no business to be away from them at this hour. Good morning, gentlemen."
And off ran the worthy14 Neptune15, to quell16, by the vision of his returning head, the rebellious17 waves of boyish impulse.
"That man will be a great comfort to you, Armstrong," I said.
"I know he will. He is a far-seeing, and what is better, a far-feeling man."
"There is true wealth in him, it seems to me, although it may be of narrow reach in expression," said I.
"I think so, quite. He seems to me to be one of those who have never grown robust18 because they have laboured in-doors instead of going out to work in the open air. There is a shrinking delicacy19 about him when with those whom he doesn't feel to be of his own kind, which makes him show to a disadvantage. But you should see him amongst his boys to do him justice."
We were interrupted by the entrance of Mrs. Armstrong, who came, after their simple fashion, to tell her husband that dinner was ready. I took my leave.
In the evening, Mrs. Bloomfield called to invite Adela and the colonel; and the affair was settled for that day week.
"You're much better, my dear, are you not?" said the worthy woman to my niece.
"Indeed I am, Mrs. Bloomfield. I could not have believed it possible that I should be so much better in so short a time—and at this season of the year too."
"Mr. Armstrong is a very clever young man, I think; though I can't say
"I suppose he is clever," replied Adela, something demurely21 as I thought. "I must say I liked the story."
"Ah, well! Young people, you know, Mr. Smith—But, bless me! I'm sure I beg your pardon. I had forgotten you weren't a married man. Of course you're one of the young people too, Mr. Smith."
"I don't think there's much of youth to choose between you and me, Mrs. Bloomfield," said I, "if I may venture to say so. But I fear I do belong to the young people, if a liking22 for extravagant23 stories, so long as they mean well, you know—is to be the test of the classification. I fear I have a depraved taste, that way. I don't mean in this particular instance, though, Adela."
"I hope not," answered Adela, with a blushing smile, which I, at least, could read, having had not merely the key to it, but the open door and window as well, ever since I had seen the two standing25 together at the top of the stair.
That night the weather broke. A slow thaw26 set in; and before many days were over, islands of green began to appear amid the "wan12 water" of the snow—to use a phrase common in Scotch27 ballads28, though with a different application. The graves in the churchyard lifted up their green altars of earth, as the first whereon to return thanks for the prophecy of spring; which, surely, if it has force and truth anywhere, speaks loudest to us in the churchyard. And on Sunday the sun broke out and shone on the green hillocks, just as good old Mr. Venables was reading the words, "I will not leave you comfortless—I will come to you."
And the ice vanished from the river, and the dark stream flowed, somewhat sullen29, but yet glad at heart, on through the low meadows bordered with pollards, which, poor things, maltreated and mutilated, yet did the best they could, and went on growing wildly in all insane shapes—pitifully mingling30 formality and grotesqueness31.
And the next day the hounds met at Castle Irksham. And that day Colonel
Cathcart would ride with them.
For the good man had gathered spirit just as the light grew upon his daughter's face. And he was merry like a boy now that the first breath of spring—for so it seemed, although no doubt plenty of wintriness remained and would yet show itself—had loosened the hard hold of the frost, which is the death of Nature. The frost is hard upon old people; and the spring is so much the more genial32 and blessed in its sweet influences on them. Do we grow old that, in our weakness and loss of physical self-assertion, we may learn the benignities of the universe—only to be learned first through the feeling of their want?—I do not envy the man who laughs the east wind to scorn. He can never know the balmy power of its sister of the west, which is the breath of the Lord, the symbol of the one genial strength at the root of all life, resurrection, and growth—commonly called the Spirit of God.—Who has not seen, as the infirmities of age grow upon old men, the haughty33, self-reliant spirit that had neglected, if not despised the gentle ministrations of love, grow as it were a little scared, and begin to look about for some kindness; begin to return the warm pressure of the hand, and to submit to be waited upon by the anxiety of love? Not in weakness alone comes the second childhood upon men, but often in childlikeness; for in old age as in nature, to quote the song of the curate,
Old Autumn's fingers
The necessities of the old man prefigure and forerun the dawn of the immortal36 childhood. For is not our necessity towards God our highest blessedness—the fair cloud that hangs over the summit of existence? Thank God, he has made his children so noble and high that they cannot do without Him! I believe we are sent into this world just to find this out.
But to leave my reflections and return to my story—such as it is. The colonel mounted me on an old horse of his, "whom," to quote from Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, "though he was near twenty years old, he preferred for a piece of sure service, before a great number of younger." Now the piece of sure service, in the present instance, was to take care of old John Smith, who was only a middling horseman, though his friend, the colonel, would say that he rode pretty well for a lad. The old horse, in fact, knew not only what he could do, but what I could do, for our powers were about equal. He looked well about for the gaps and the narrow places. From weakness in his forelegs, he had become a capital buck-jumper, as I think Cathcart called him, always alighting over a hedge on his hind37 legs, instead of his fore10 ones, which was as much easier for John Smith as for Hop24 o' my Thumb—that was the name of the old horse, he being sixteen hands, at least. But I beg my reader's pardon for troubling him with all this about my horse, for, assuredly, neither he nor I will perform any deed of prowess in his presence. But I have the weakness of garrulity38 in regard to a predilection39 from the indulgence of which circumstances have debarred me.
At nine o'clock my friend and I started upon hacks40 for the meet. Now, I am not going to describe the "harrow and weal away!" with which the soul of poor Reynard is hunted out of the world—if, indeed, such a clever wretch41 can have a soul. I daresay—I hope, at least, that the argument of the fox-hunter is analogically just, who, being expostulated with on the cruelty of fox-hunting, replied—"Well, you know, the hounds like it; and the horses like it; and there's no doubt the men like it—and who knows whether the fox doesn't like it too?" But I would not have introduced the subject except for the sake of what my reader will find in the course of a page or two, and which assuredly is not fox-hunting.
We soon found. But just before, a sudden heavy noise, coming apparently42 from a considerable distance, made one or two of the company say, with passing curiosity: "What is that?" It was instantly forgotten, however, as soon as the fox broke cover. He pointed43 towards Purley-bridge. We had followed for some distance, circumstances permitting Hop o' my Thumb to keep in the wake of his master, when the colonel, drawing rein44, allowed me—I ought to say us, for the old horse had quite as much voice in the matter as I had—to come up with him.
"The cunning old dog!" said he. "He has run straight for the deepest cutting in the railway. They'll all be pounded presently! They don't know this part so well as I do. I know every field and gate in it. I used to go larking45 over it all when I was only a cub46 myself. Confound it! I'm not up to much to-day. I suppose I'm getting old, you know; or I'd strike off here at right angles to the left, and make for the bridge at Crumple's Corner. I should lose the hounds though, I fear. I wonder what his lordship will do."
All the time my old friend was talking, we were following the rest of the field, whom, sure enough, as soon as we got into the next inclosure, we saw drawing up one after another on the top of the railway cutting, which ran like the river of death between them and the fox-hunter's paradise. But at the moment we entered this field, whom should we see approaching us at right angles, from the direction of Purleybridge, but Harry47 Armstrong, mounted on the mare48! I rode towards him.
"Trapped, you see," said I. "Are you after the fox—or some nobler game?"
"I was going my rounds," answered Harry, "when I caught sight of the hounds. I have no very pressing case to day, so I turned a few yards out of the road to see a bit of the sport. Confound these railways!"
At the moment—and all this passed, as the story-teller is so often compelled to remind his reader, in far less time than it takes to tell—over the hedge on the opposite side from where Harry had entered the field, blundered a country fellow, on a great, heavy, but spirited horse, and ploughed his way up the soft furrow49 to where we stood.
"Well?" answered Henry, alert.
Legs and arms! Good God! sir, make haste."
"Well," said Harry, whose compressed lips alone gave sign of his being ready for action, "ride to the town, and tell my housekeeper52 to give you bandages and wadding and oil, and splints, and whatever she knows to be needful. Are there many hurt?"
"Half a dozen alive, sir."
"Then you'd better let the other doctors know as well. And just tell my man to saddle Jilter and take him to by brother, the curate. He had better come out at once. Ride now."
"I will, sir," said the man, and was over the hedge in another minute.
But not before Harry was over the railway. For he rode gently towards it, as if nothing particular was to be done, and chose as the best spot one close to where several of the gentlemen stood, disputing for a moment as to which was the best way to get across. Now on the top of the cutting there was a rail, and between the rail and the edge of the cutting a space of about four feet. Harry trotted53 his mare gently up to the rail, and went over. Nor was the mutual54 confidence of mare and master misplaced from either side. She lighted and stood stock still within a foot of the slope, so powerful was she to stop herself. An uproar of cries arose among the men. I heard the old soldier's voice above them all.
"Damn you, Armstrong, you fool!" he cried; "you'll break your neck, and serve you right too!"
I don't know a stronger proof that the classical hell has little hold on the faith of the Saxons, than that good-hearted and true men will not unfrequently damn their friends when they are most anxious to save them. But before the words were half out of the colonel's mouth, Harry was half-way down the cutting. He had gone straight at it like a cat, and it was of course the only way. I had galloped55 to the edge after him, and now saw him, or rather her, descending57 by a succession of rebounds—not bounds—a succession, in fact, of short falls upon the fore-legs, while Harry's head was nearly touching58 her rump. Arrived at the bottom, she gave two bounds across the rails, and the same moment was straining right up the opposite bank in a fierce agony of effort, Harry hanging upon her neck. Now the mighty59 play of her magnificent hind quarters came into operation. I could see, plainly enough across the gulf60, the alternate knotting and loosening of the thick muscles as, step by step, she tore her way up the grassy61 slope. It was a terrible trial of muscle and wind, and very few horses could have stood it. As she neared the top, her pace grew slower and slower, and the exertion more and more severe. If she had given in, she would have rolled to the bottom, but nothing was less in her thoughts. Her master never spurred or urged her, except it may have been by whispering in her ear, to which his mouth was near enough: he knew she needed no excitement to that effort. At length the final heave of her rump, as it came up to a level with her withers62, told the breathless spectators that the attempt was a success, when a loud "Hurrah63 for the doctor and his mare!" burst from their lips. The doctor, however, only waved his hand in acknowledgment, for he had all to do yet. Fortunately there was space enough between the edge and the fence on that side to allow of his giving his mare a quarter of a circle of a gallop56 before bringing her up to the rail, else in her fatigue64 she might have failed to top it. Over she went and away, with her tail streaming out behind her, as if she had done nothing worth thinking about, once it was done. One more cheer for the doctor—but no one dared to follow him. They scattered65 in different directions to find a less perilous66 crossing. I stuck by my leader.
"By Jove! Cathcart," said Lord Irksham, as they parted, "that doctor of yours is a hero. He ought to have been bred a soldier."
"He's better employed, my lord," bawled67 the old colonel; for they were now a good many yards asunder68, making for different points in the hedge. From this answer, I hoped well for the doctor. At all events, the colonel admired his manliness69 more than ever, and that was a great thing. For me, I could hardly keep down the expression of an excitement which I did not wish to show. It was a great relief to me when the hurrah! arose, and I could let myself off in that way. I told you, kind reader, I was only an old boy. But, as the Arabs always give God thanks when they see a beautiful woman, and quite right too! so, in my heart, I praised God who had made a mare with such muscles, and a man with such a heart. And I said to myself, "A fine muscle is a fine thing; but the finest muscle of all, keeping the others going too, is the heart itself. That is the true Christian70 muscle. And the real muscular Christianity is that which pours in a life-giving torrent71 from the devotion of the heart, receiving only that it may give."
But I fancy I hear my reader saying,
"Mr. Smith, you've forgotten the fox. What a sportsman you make!"
Well, I had forgotten the fox. But then we didn't kill him or find another that day. So you won't care for the rest of the run.
I was tired enough by the time we got back to Purleybridge. I went early to bed.
The next morning, the colonel, the moment we met at the breakfast table, said to me,
Lord Irksham last night?"
"No, what was it?"
"It seems they met again towards evening, and his lordship said to him: 'You hare-brained young devil!'—you know his lordship's rough way," interposed the colonel, forgetting how roundly he had sworn at Harry himself, "'by the time you're my age, you'll be more careful of the few brains you'll have left.' To which expostulated Master Harry replied: 'If your lordship had been my age, and would have done it yourself to kill a fox: when I am your lordship's age, I hope I shall have the grace left to do as much to save a man.' Whereupon his lordship rejoined, holding out his hand, 'By Jove! sir, you are an honour to your profession. Come and dine with me on Monday.' And what do you think the idiot did?—Backed out of it, and wouldn't go, because he thought his lordship condescending73, and he didn't want his patronage74. But his lordship's not a bit like that, you know."
"Then if he isn't, he'll like Harry all the better for declining, and will probably send him a proper invitation."
And sure enough, I was right; and Harry did dine at Castle Irksham on
Monday.
Adela's eyes showed clearly enough that her ears were devouring76 every word we had said; and the glow on her face could not be mistaken by me at least, though to another it might well appear only the sign of such an enthusiasm as one would like every girl to feel in the presence of noble conduct of any kind. She had heard the whole story last night you may be sure; and I do not doubt that the unrestrained admiration77 shown by her father for the doctor's conduct, was a light in her heart which sleep itself could not extinguish, and which went shining on in her dreams. Admiration of the beloved is dear to a woman. You see I like to show that although I am an old bachelor, I know something about them.
"Well, how are you to-day, Harry?" I said.
"All right, thank you."
"Were there many hurt at the quarry?"
"Oh! it wasn't so very bad, I'm happy to say."
"You did splendidly yesterday."
"Oh, nonsense! It was my mare. It wasn't me. I had nothing to do with it."
"Well! well! you have my full permission to say so, and to think so, too."
"Well! well! say no more about it."
So it was long before the subject was again alluded79 to by me. But it will be long, too, before it is forgotten in that county.
And so the evening came when we were to meet—for the last time as the Story-telling club—at the schoolmaster's house. It was now past the time I had set myself for returning to London, and although my plans were never of a very unalterable complexion80, seeing I had the faculty81 of being able to write wherever I was, and never admitted chairs and tables, and certain rows of bookshelves, to form part of my mental organism, without which the rest of the mechanism82 would be thrown out of gear, I had yet reasons for wishing to be in London; and I intended to take my departure on the day but one after the final meeting.—I may just remark, that before this time one or two families had returned to Purleybridge, and others were free from their Christmas engagements, who would have been much pleased to join our club; but, considering its ephemeral nature, and seeing it had been formed only for what we hoped was a passing necessity, we felt that the introduction of new blood, although essential for the long life of anything constituted for long life, would only hasten the decay of its butterfly constitution. So we had kept our meetings entirely83 to ourselves.
We all arrived about the same time, and found our host and hostess full of quiet cordiality, to which their homeliness84 lent an additional charm. The relation of host and guest is weakened by every addition to a company, and in a large assembly all but disappears. Indeed, the tendency of the present age is to blot85 from the story of every-day life all reminders86 of the ordinary human relations, as commonplace and insignificant87, and to mingle88 all society in one concourse of atoms, in which the only distinctions shall be those of rank; whereas the sole power to keep social intercourse89 from growing stale is the recognition of the immortal and true in all the simple human relations. Then we look upon all men with reverence90, and find ourselves safe and at home in the midst of divine intents, which may be violated and striven with, but can never be escaped, because the will of God is the very life and well-being91 of his creatures.
Mrs. Bloomfield looked very nice in her black silk dress, and collar and cuffs92 of old lace, as she presided at the tea-table, and made us all feel that it was a pleasure to her to serve us.
After repeated apologies, and confessions93 of failure, our host then read the following parable7, as he called it, though I daresay it would be more correct to call it an allegory. But as that word has so many wearisome associations, I, too, intend, whether right or wrong, to call it a parable. So, then, it shall be:
"THE CASTLE: A PARABLE.
"On the top of a high cliff, forming part of the base of a great mountain, stood a lofty castle. When or how it was built, no man knew; nor could any one pretend to understand its architecture. Every one who looked upon it felt that it was lordly and noble; and where one part seemed not to agree with another, the wise and modest dared not to call them incongruous, but presumed that the whole might be constructed on some higher principle of architecture than they yet understood. What helped them to this conclusion was, that no one had ever seen the whole of the edifice94; that, even of the portion best known, some part or other was always wrapped in thick folds of mist from the mountain; and that, when the sun shone upon this mist, the parts of the building that appeared through the vaporous veil were strangely glorified95 in their indistinctness, so that they seemed to belong to some aerial abode96 in the land of the sunset; and the beholders could hardly tell whether they had ever seen them before, or whether they were now for the first time partially98 revealed.
"Nor, although it was inhabited, could certain information be procured99 as to its internal construction. Those who dwelt in it often discovered rooms they had never entered before—yea, once or twice,—whole suites100 of apartments, of which only dim legends had been handed down from former times. Some of them expected to find, one day, secret places, filled with treasures of wondrous102 jewels; amongst which they hoped to light upon Solomon's ring, which had for ages disappeared from the earth, but which had controlled the spirits, and the possession of which made a man simply what a man should be, the king of the world. Now and then, a narrow, winding103 stair, hitherto untrodden, would bring them forth104 on a new turret105, whence new prospects107 of the circumjacent country were spread out before them. How many more of these there might be, or how much loftier, no one could tell. Nor could the foundations of the castle in the rock on which it was built be determined108 with the smallest approach to precision. Those of the family who had given themselves to exploring in that direction, found such a labyrinth109 of vaults110 and passages, and endless successions of down-going stairs, out of one underground space into a yet lower, that they came to the conclusion that at least the whole mountain was perforated and honeycombed in this fashion. They had a dim consciousness, too, of the presence, in those awful regions, of beings whom they could not comprehend. Once they came upon the brink112 of a great black gulf, in which the eye could see nothing but darkness: they recoiled113 with horror; for the conviction flashed upon them that that gulf went down into the very central spaces of the earth, of which they had hitherto been wandering only in the upper crust; nay114, that the seething115 blackness before them had relations mysterious, and beyond human comprehension, with the far-off voids of space, into which the stars dare not enter.
"At the foot of the cliff whereon the castle stood, lay a deep lake, inaccessible116 save by a few avenues, being surrounded on all sides with precipices117 which made the water look very black, although it was pure as the night-sky. From a door in the castle, which was not to be otherwise entered, a broad flight of steps, cut in the rock, went down to the lake, and disappeared below its surface. Some thought the steps went to the very bottom of the water.
"Now in this castle there dwelt a large family of brothers and sisters. They had never seen their father or mother. The younger had been educated by the elder, and these by an unseen care and ministration, about the sources of which they had, somehow or other, troubled themselves very little—for what people are accustomed to, they regard as coming from nobody; as if help and progress and joy and love were the natural crops of Chaos118 or old Night. But Tradition said that one day—it was utterly119 uncertain when—their father would come, and leave them no more; for he was still alive, though where he lived nobody knew. In the meantime all the rest had to obey their eldest120 brother, and listen to his counsels.
"But almost all the family was very fond of liberty, as they called it; and liked to run up and down, hither and thither121, roving about, with neither law nor order, just as they pleased. So they could not endure their brother's tyranny, as they called it. At one time they said that he was only one of themselves, and therefore they would not obey him; at another, that he was not like them, and could not understand them, and therefore they would not obey him. Yet, sometimes, when he came and looked them full in the face, they were terrified, and dared not disobey, for he was stately and stern and strong. Not one of them loved him heartily122, except the eldest sister, who was very beautiful and silent, and whose eyes shone as if light lay somewhere deep behind them. Even she, although she loved him, thought him very hard sometimes; for when he had once said a thing plainly, he could not be persuaded to think it over again. So even she forgot him sometimes, and went her own ways, and enjoyed herself without him. Most of them regarded him as a sort of watchman, whose business it was to keep them in order; and so they were indignant and disliked him. Yet they all had a secret feeling that they ought to be subject to him; and after any particular act of disregard, none of them could think, with any peace, of the old story about the return of their father to his house. But indeed they never thought much about it, or about their father at all; for how could those who cared so little for their brother, whom they saw every day, care for their father whom they had never seen?—One chief cause of complaint against him was that he interfered123 with their favourite studies and pursuits; whereas he only sought to make them give up trifling125 with earnest things, and seek for truth, and not for amusement, from the many wonders around them. He did not want them to turn to other studies, or to eschew126 pleasures; but, in those studies, to seek the highest things most, and other things in proportion to their true worth and nobleness. This could not fail to be distasteful to those who did not care for what was higher than they. And so matters went on for a time. They thought they could do better without their brother; and their brother knew they could not do at all without him, and tried to fulfil the charge committed into his hands.
"At length, one day, for the thought seemed to strike them simultaneously127, they conferred together about giving a great entertainment in their grandest rooms to any of their neighbours who chose to come, or indeed to any inhabitants of the earth or air who would visit them. They were too proud to reflect that some company might defile128 even the dwellers129 in what was undoubtedly the finest palace on the face of the earth. But what made the thing worse, was, that the old tradition said that these rooms were to be kept entirely for the use of the owner of the castle. And, indeed, whenever they entered them, such was the effect of their loftiness and grandeur130 upon their minds, that they always thought of the old story, and could not help believing it. Nor would the brother permit them to forget it now; but, appearing suddenly amongst them, when they had no expectation of being interrupted by him, he rebuked131 them, both for the indiscriminate nature of their invitation, and for the intention of introducing any one, not to speak of some who would doubtless make their appearance on the evening in question, into the rooms kept sacred for the use of the unknown father. But by this time their talk with each other had so excited their expectations of enjoyment132, which had previously133 been strong enough, that anger sprung up within them at the thought of being deprived of their hopes, and they looked each other in the eyes; and the look said: 'We are many and he is one—let us get rid of him, for he is always finding fault, and thwarting134 us in the most innocent pleasures;—as if we would wish to do anything wrong!' So without a word spoken, they rushed upon him; and although he was stronger than any of them, and struggled hard at first, yet they overcame him at last. Indeed some of them thought he yielded to their violence long before they had the mastery of him; and this very submission136 terrified the more tender-hearted amongst them. However, they bound him; carried him down many stairs, and, having remembered an iron staple137 in the wall of a certain vault111, with a thick rusty138 chain attached to it, they bore him thither, and made the chain fast around him. There they left him, shutting the great gnarring brazen139 door of the vault, as they departed for the upper regions of the castle.
"Now all was in a tumult140 of preparation. Every one was talking of the coming festivity; but no one spoke135 of the deed they had done. A sudden paleness overspread the face, now of one, and now of another; but it passed away, and no one took any notice of it; they only plied5 the task of the moment the more energetically. Messengers were sent far and near, not to individuals or families, but publishing in all places of concourse a general invitation to any who chose to come on a certain day, and partake for certain succeeding days of the hospitality of the dwellers in the castle. Many were the preparations immediately begun for complying with the invitation. But the noblest of their neighbours refused to appear; not from pride, but because of the unsuitableness and carelessness of such a mode. With some of them it was an old condition in the tenure141 of their estates, that they should go to no one's dwelling142 except visited in person, and expressly solicited143. Others, knowing what sort of persons would be there, and that, from a certain physical antipathy144, they could scarcely breathe in their company, made up their minds at once not to go. Yet multitudes, many of them beautiful and innocent as well as gay, resolved to appear.
"Meanwhile the great rooms of the castle were got in readiness—that is, they proceeded to deface them with decorations; for there was a solemnity and stateliness about them in their ordinary condition, which was at once felt to be unsuitable for the light-hearted company so soon to move about in them with the self-same carelessness with which men walk abroad within the great heavens and hills and clouds. One day, while the workmen were busy, the eldest sister, of whom I have already spoken, happened to enter, she knew not why. Suddenly the great idea of the mighty halls dawned upon her, and filled her soul. The so-called decorations vanished from her view, and she felt as if she stood in her father's presence. She was at one elevated and humbled145. As suddenly the idea faded and fled, and she beheld146 but the gaudy147 festoons and draperies and paintings which disfigured the grandeur. She wept and sped away. Now it was too late to interfere124, and things must take their course. She would have been but a Cassandra-prophetess to those who saw but the pleasure before them. She had not been present when her brother was imprisoned148; and indeed for some days had been so wrapt in her own business, that she had taken but little heed149 of anything that was going on. But they all expected her to show herself when the company was gathered; and they had applied150 to her for advice at various times during their operations.
"At length the expected hour arrived, and the company began to assemble. It was a warm summer evening. The dark lake reflected the rose-coloured clouds in the west, and through the flush rowed many gaily151 painted boats, with various coloured flags, towards the massy rock on which the castle stood. The trees and flowers seemed already asleep, and breathing forth their sweet dream-breath. Laughter and low voices rose from the breast of the lake to the ears of the youths and maidens152 looking forth expectant from the lofty windows. They went down to the broad platform at the top of the stairs in front of the door to receive their visitors. By degrees the festivities of the evening commenced. The same smiles flew forth both at eyes and lips, darting153 like beams through the gathering154 crowd. Music, from unseen sources, now rolled in billows, now crept in ripples155 through the sea of air that filled the lofty rooms. And in the dancing halls, when hand took hand, and form and motion were moulded and swayed by the indwelling music, it governed not these alone, but, as the ruling spirit of the place, every new burst of music for a new dance swept before it a new and accordant odour, and dyed the flames that glowed in the lofty lamps with a new and accordant stain. The floors bent156 beneath the feet of the time-keeping dancers. But twice in the evening some of the inmates157 started, and the pallor occasionally common to the household overspread their faces, for they felt underneath158 them a counter-motion to the dance, as if the floor rose slightly to answer their feet. And all the time their brother lay below in the dungeon159, like John the Baptist in the castle of Herod, when the lords and captains sat around, and the daughter of Herodias danced before them. Outside, all around the castle, brooded the dark night unheeded; for the clouds had come up from all sides, and were crowding together overhead. In the unfrequent pauses of the music, they might have heard, now and then, the gusty160 rush of a lonely wind, coming and going no one could know whence or whither, born and dying unexpected and unregarded.
"But when the festivities were at their height, when the external and passing confidence which is produced between superficial natures by a common pleasure was at the full, a sudden crash of thunder quelled161 the music, as the thunder quells162 the noise of the uplifted sea. The windows were driven in, and torrents163 of rain, carried in the folds of a rushing wind, poured into the halls. The lights were swept away; and the great rooms, now dark within, were darkened yet more by the dazzling shoots of flame from the vault of blackness overhead. Those that ventured to look out of the windows saw, in the blue brilliancy of the quick-following jets of lightning, the lake at the foot of the rock, ordinarily so still and so dark, lighted up, not on the surface only, but down to half its depth; so that, as it tossed in the wind, like a tortured sea of writhing164 flames, or incandescent165 half-molten serpents of brass166, they could not tell whether a strong phosphorescence did not issue from the transparent167 body of the waters, as if earth and sky lightened together, one consenting source of flaming utterance168.
"Sad was the condition of the late plastic mass of living form that had flowed into shape at the will and law of the music. Broken into individuals, the common transfusing169 spirit withdrawn170, they stood drenched171, cold, and benumbed, with clinging garments; light, order, harmony, purpose departed, and chaos restored; the issuings of life turned back on their sources, chilly172 and dead. And in every heart reigned173 the falsest of despairing convictions, that this was the only reality, and that was but a dream. The eldest sister stood with clasped hands and down-bent head, shivering and speechless, as if waiting for something to follow. Nor did she wait long. A terrible flash and thunder-peal made the castle rock; and in the pausing silence that followed, her quick sense heard the rattling174 of a chain far off, deep down; and soon the sound of heavy footsteps, accompanied with the clanking of iron, reached her ear. She felt that her brother was at hand. Even in the darkness, and amidst the bellowing175 of another deep-bosomed cloud-monster, she knew that he had entered the room. A moment after, a continuous pulsation177 of angry blue light began, which, lasting178 for some moments, revealed him standing amidst them, gaunt, haggard, and motionless; his hair and beard untrimmed, his face ghastly, his eyes large and hollow. The light seemed to gather around him as a centre. Indeed some believed that it throbbed179 and radiated from his person, and not from the stormy heavens above them. The lightning had rent the wall of his prison, and released the iron staple of his chain, which he had wound about him like a girdle. In his hand he carried an iron fetter-bar, which he had found on the floor of the vault. More terrified at his aspect than at all the violence of the storm, the visitors, with many a shriek180 and cry, rushed out into the tempestuous181 night. By degrees, the storm died away. Its last flash revealed the forms of the brothers and sisters lying prostrate182, with their faces on the floor, and that fearful shape standing motionless amidst them still.
"Morning dawned, and there they lay, and there he stood. But at a word from him, they arose and went about their various duties, though listlessly enough. The eldest sister was the last to rise; and when she did, it was only by a terrible effort that she was able to reach her room, where she fell again on the floor. There she remained lying for days. The brother caused the doors of the great suite101 of rooms to be closed, leaving them just as they were, with all the childish adornment183 scattered about, and the rain still falling in through the shattered windows. 'Thus let them lie,' said he, 'till the rain and frost have cleansed184 them of paint and drapery: no storm can hurt the pillars and arches of these halls.'
"The hours of this day went heavily. The storm was gone, but the rain was left; the passion had departed, but the tears remained behind. Dull and dark the low misty185 clouds brooded over the castle and the lake, and shut out all the neighbourhood. Even if they had climbed to the loftiest known turret, they would have found it swathed in a garment of clinging vapour, affording no refreshment186 to the eye, and no hope to the heart. There was one lofty tower that rose sheer a hundred feet above the rest, and from which the fog could have been seen lying in a grey mass beneath; but that tower they had not yet discovered, nor another close beside it, the top of which was never seen, nor could be, for the highest clouds of heaven clustered continually around it. The rain fell continuously, though not heavily, without; and within, too, there were clouds from which dropped the tears which are the rain of the spirit. All the good of life seemed for the time departed, and their souls lived but as leafless trees that had forgotten the joy of the summer, and whom no wind prophetic of spring had yet visited. They moved about mechanically, and had not strength enough left to wish to die.
"The next day the clouds were higher, and a little wind blew through such loopholes in the turrets187 as the false improvements of the inmates had not yet filled with glass, shutting out, as the storm, so the serene188 visitings of the heavens. Throughout the day, the brother took various opportunities of addressing a gentle command, now to one and now to another of his family. It was obeyed in silence. The wind blew fresher through the loopholes and the shattered windows of the great rooms, and found its way, by unknown passages, to faces and eyes hot with weeping. It cooled and blessed them.—When the sun arose the next day, it was in a clear sky.
"By degrees, everything fell into the regularity189 of subordination. With the subordination came increase of freedom. The steps of the more youthful of the family were heard on the stairs and in the corridors more light and quick than ever before. Their brother had lost the terrors of aspect produced by his confinement190, and his commands were issued more gently, and oftener with a smile, than in all their previous history. By degrees his presence was universally felt through the house. It was no surprise to any one at his studies, to see him by his side when he lifted up his eyes, though he had not before known that he was in the room. And although some dread191 still remained, it was rapidly vanishing before the advances of a firm friendship. Without immediately ordering their labours, he always influenced them, and often altered their direction and objects. The change soon evident in the household was remarkable192. A simpler, nobler expression was visible on all the countenances194. The voices of the men were deeper, and yet seemed by their very depth more feminine than before; while the voices of the women were softer and sweeter, and at the same time more full and decided195. Now the eyes had often an expression as if their sight was absorbed in the gaze of the inward eyes; and when the eyes of two met, there passed between those eyes the utterance of a conviction that both meant the same thing. But the change was, of course, to be seen more clearly, though not more evidently, in individuals.
"One of the brothers, for instance, was very fond of astronomy. He had his observatory196 on a lofty tower, which stood pretty clear of the others, towards the north and east. But hitherto, his astronomy, as he had called it, had been more of the character of astrology. Often, too, he might have been seen directing a heaven-searching telescope to catch the rapid transit197 of a fiery198 shooting-star, belonging altogether to the earthly atmosphere, and not to the serene heavens. He had to learn that the signs of the air are not the signs of the skies. Nay, once, his brother surprised him in the act of examining through his longest tube a patch of burning heath upon a distant hill. But now he was diligent199 from morning till night in the study of the laws of the truth that has to do with stars; and when the curtain of the sunlight was about to rise from before the heavenly worlds which it had hidden all day long, he might be seen preparing his instruments with that solemn countenance193 with which it becometh one to look into the mysterious harmonies of Nature. Now he learned what law and order and truth are, what consent and harmony mean; how the individual may find his own end in a higher end, where law and freedom mean the same thing, and the purest certainty exists without the slightest constraint200. Thus he stood on the earth, and looked to the heavens.
"Another, who had been much given to searching out the hollow places and recesses201 in the foundations of the castle, and who was often to be found with compass and ruler working away at a chart of the same which he had been in process of constructing, now came to the conclusion, that only by ascending203 the upper regions of his abode could he become capable of understanding what lay beneath; and that, in all probability, one clear prospect106, from the top of the highest attainable204 turret, over the castle as it lay below, would reveal more of the idea of its internal construction, than a year spent in wandering through its subterranean205 vaults. But the fact was, that the desire to ascend202 wakening within him had made him forget what was beneath; and having laid aside his chart for a time at least, he was now to be met in every quarter of the upper parts, searching and striving upward, now in one direction, now in another; and seeking, as he went, the best outlooks into the clear air of outer realities.
"And they began to discover that they were all meditating206 different aspects of the same thing; and they brought together their various discoveries, and recognized the likeness34 between them; and the one thing often explained the other, and combining with it helped to a third. They grew in consequence more and more friendly and loving; so that every now and then one turned to another and said, as in surprise, 'Why, you are my brother!'—'Why, you are my sister!' And yet they had always known it.
"The change reached to all. One, who lived on the air of sweet sounds, and who was almost always to be found seated by her harp207 or some other instrument, had, till the late storm, been generally merry and playful, though sometimes sad. But for a long time after that, she was often found weeping, and playing little simple airs which she had heard in childhood—backward longings208, followed by fresh tears. Before long, however, a new element manifested itself in her music. It became yet more wild, and sometimes retained all its sadness, but it was mingled209 with anticipation210 and hope. The past and the future merged211 in one; and while memory yet brought the rain-cloud, expectation threw the rainbow across its bosom176—and all was uttered in her music, which rose and swelled212, now to defiance213, now to victory; then died in a torrent of weeping.
"As to the eldest sister, it was many days before she recovered from the shock. At length, one day, her brother came to her, took her by the hand, led her to an open window, and told her to seat herself by it, and look out. She did so; but at first saw nothing more than an unsympathizing blaze of sunlight. But as she looked, the horizon widened out, and the dome214 of the sky ascended215, till the grandeur seized upon her soul, and she fell on her knees and wept. Now the heavens seemed to bend lovingly over her, and to stretch out wide cloud-arms to embrace her; the earth lay like the bosom of an infinite love beneath her, and the wind kissed her cheek with an odour of roses. She sprang to her feet, and turned, in an agony of hope, expecting to behold97 the face of the father, but there stood only her brother, looking calmly though lovingly on her emotion. She turned again to the window. On the hilltops rested the sky: Heaven and Earth were one; and the prophecy awoke in her soul, that from betwixt them would the steps of the father approach.
"Hitherto she had seen but Beauty; now she beheld Truth. Often had she looked on such clouds as these, and loved the strange ethereal curves into which the winds moulded them; and had smiled as her little pet sister told her what curious animals she saw in them, and tried to point them out to her. Now they were as troops of angels, jubilant over her new birth, for they sang, in her soul, of beauty, and truth, and love. She looked down, and her little sister knelt beside her.
"She was a curious child, with black, glittering eyes, and dark hair; at the mercy of every wandering wind; a frolicsome216, daring girl, who laughed more than she smiled. She was generally in attendance on her sister, and was always finding and bringing her strange things. She never pulled a primrose217, but she knew the haunts of all the orchis tribe, and brought from them bees and butterflies innumerable, as offerings to her sister. Curious moths218 and glow-worms were her greatest delight; and she loved the stars, because they were like the glow-worms. But the change had affected219 her too; for her sister saw that her eyes had lost their glittering look, and had become more liquid and transparent. And from that time she often observed that her gaiety was more gentle, her smile more frequent, her laugh less bell-like; and although she was as wild as ever, there was more elegance220 in her motions, and more music in her voice. And she clung to her sister with far greater fondness than before.
"The land reposed221 in the embrace of the warm summer days. The clouds of heaven nestled around the towers of the castle; and the hearts of its inmates became conscious of a warm atmosphere—of a presence of love. They began to feel like the children of a household, when the mother is at home. Their faces and forms grew daily more and more beautiful, till they wondered as they gazed on each other. As they walked in the gardens of the castle, or in the country around, they were often visited, especially the eldest sister, by sounds that no one heard but themselves, issuing from woods and waters; and by forms of love that lightened out of flowers, and grass, and great rocks. Now and then the young children would come in with a slow, stately step, and, with great eyes that looked as if they would devour75 all the creation, say that they had met the father amongst the trees, and that he had kissed them; 'And,' added one of them once, 'I grew so big!' But when the others went out to look, they could see no one. And some said it must have been the brother, who grew more and more beautiful, and loving, and reverend, and who had lost all traces of hardness, so that they wondered they could ever have thought him stern and harsh. But the eldest sister held her peace, and looked up, and her eyes filled with tears. 'Who can tell,' thought she, 'but the little children know more about it than we?'
"Often, at sunrise, might be heard their hymn222 of praise to their unseen father, whom they felt to be near, though they saw him not. Some words thereof once reached my ear through the folds of the music in which they floated, as in an upward snowstorm of sweet sounds. And these are some of the words I heard—but there was much I seemed to hear which I could not understand, and some things which I understood but cannot utter again.
"'We thank thee that we have a father, and not a maker223; that thou hast begotten224 us, and not moulded us as images of clay; that we have come forth of thy heart, and have not been fashioned by thy hands. It must be so. Only the heart of a father is able to create. We rejoice in it, and bless thee that we know it. We thank thee for thyself. Be what thou art—our root and life, our beginning and end, our all in all. Come home to us. Thou livest; therefore we live. In thy light we see. Thou art—that is all our song.'
"Thus they worship, and love, and wait. Their hope and expectation grow ever stronger and brighter, that one day, ere long, the Father will show Himself amongst them, and thenceforth dwell in His own house for evermore. What was once but an old legend has become the one desire of their hearts.
"And the loftiest hope is the surest of being fulfilled."
* * * * *
"Thank you, heartily," said the curate. "I will choose another time to tell you how much I have enjoyed your parable, which is altogether to my mind, and far beyond anything I could do."
Mr. Bloomfield returned no answer, but his countenance showed that he was far from hearing this praise unmoved. The faces of the rest showed that they too had listened with pleasure; and Adela's face shone as if she had received more than delight—hope, namely, and onward225 impulse. The colonel alone—I forgot to say that Mrs. Cathcart had a headache, and did not come—seemed to have been left behind.
"I am a stupid old fellow, I believe," said he; "but to tell the truth, I did not know what to make of it. It seemed all the time to be telling me in one breath something I knew and something I didn't and couldn't know. I wish I could express what I mean, but it puzzled me too much for that; although every now and then it sounded very beautiful indeed."
"I will try and tell you what it said to me, sometime, papa," said
Adela.
"Thank you, my child; I should much like to understand it. I believe I have done my duty by my king and country, but a man has to learn a good deal after all that is over and done with; and I suppose it is never too late to begin, Mr. Armstrong?"
"On the contrary, I not merely believe that no future time can be so good as the present, but I am inclined to assert that no past time could have been so good as the present. This seems to be a paradox226, but I think I could explain it very easily. I find, however, that the ladies are looking as if they wanted to go home, and I am quite ready, Mrs. Armstrong. But while the ladies put their bonnets228 on, just let Smith see your schoolroom, Mr. Bloomfield. As an inhabitant of Purleybridge, I already begin to be proud of it."
The ladies did go to put on their bonnets. I followed Mr. Bloomfield and the colonel into the schoolroom, and the curate followed me. But after we had looked about us and remarked on the things about for five minutes, finding I had left my handkerchief in the drawing-room, I went back to fetch it. The door was open, and I saw Adela—no bonnet227 on her head yet—standing face to face with Harry. They were alone. I hesitated for a moment what I should do, and while I hesitated, I could not help seeing the arm of the doctor curved and half-outstretched, as if it would gladly have folded about her, and his face droop229 and droop, till it could not have been more than half a foot from hers. Now, as far as my seeing this was concerned, there was no harm done. But behind me came the curate and the schoolmaster, and they had eyes in their heads, at least equal to mine. Well, no great harm yet. And just far enough down the stair to see into the drawing-room, appeared their wives, who could not fail to see the unconscious pair, at least as well as we men below. Still there was no great harm done, for Mrs. Cathcart was at home, as I have said. But, horresco referens! excuse the recondite230 quotation—at the same moment the form of the colonel appeared, looking over the heads of all before him right in at the drawing-room door, and full at the young sinners, who had heard no sound along the matted passage.
"Here's a go!" said I to myself—not aloud, observe, for it was slang.
For just think of a man like Harry caught thus in a perfect trap of converging231 looks.
As if from a sudden feeling of hostile presence, he glanced round—and stood erect232. The poor fellow's face at once flushed as red as shame could make it, but he neither lost his self-possession, nor sought to escape under cover of a useless pretence233. He turned to the colonel.
"Colonel Cathcart," he said, "I will choose a more suitable time to make my apology. I wish you good night."
He bowed to us all, not choosing to risk a refusal of his hand by the colonel, and went quickly out of the house.
The colonel stood for some moments, which felt to me like minutes, as if he had just mounted guard at the drawing-room door. His face was perfectly234 expressionless. We men felt very much like stale oysters235, and would rather have skipped that same portion of our inevitable236 existence. What the ladies felt, I do not pretend, being an old bachelor, to divine.
Adela, pale as death, fled up the stair. The only thing left for the rest of us was, to act as much as possible as if nothing were the matter, and get out of the way before the poor girl came down again. As soon as I got home, I went to my own room, and thus avoided the tete-a-tete with my host which generally closed our evenings.
The colonel went up to his daughter's room, and remained there for nearly an hour. Adela was not at the breakfast-table the next morning. Her father looked very gloomy, and Mrs. Cathcart grimly satisfied, with I told you so written on her face as plainly as I have now written it on the paper. How she came to know anything about it, I can only conjecture237.
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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prefixes
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| n.前缀( prefix的名词复数 )；人名前的称谓；前置代号（置于前面的单词或字母、数字） | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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parable
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| n.寓言，比喻 | |
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parables
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| n.（圣经中的）寓言故事( parable的名词复数 ) | |
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glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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Neptune
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| n.海王星 | |
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quell
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rebellious
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robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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relished
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demurely
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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hop
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standing
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thaw
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scotch
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| 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 | |
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ballads
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| 民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴 | |
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sullen
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mingling
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grotesqueness
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genial
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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34
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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35
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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36
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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37
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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38
garrulity
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| n.饶舌，多嘴 | |
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39
predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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40
hacks
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| 黑客 | |
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41
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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42
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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43
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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44
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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45
larking
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| v.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的现在分词 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了 | |
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46
cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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47
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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48
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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49
furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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50
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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51
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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52
housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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53
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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54
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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55
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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56
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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57
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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58
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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59
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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60
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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61
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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62
withers
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| 马肩隆 | |
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63
hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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64
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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65
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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66
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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67
bawled
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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68
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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69
manliness
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| 刚毅 | |
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70
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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71
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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72
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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73
condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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74
patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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75
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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76
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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77
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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78
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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79
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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81
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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82
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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83
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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84
homeliness
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| n.简朴，朴实；相貌平平 | |
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85
blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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86
reminders
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| n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信 | |
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87
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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88
mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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89
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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90
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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91
well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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92
cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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93
confessions
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| n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔 | |
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94
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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95
glorified
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| 美其名的，变荣耀的 | |
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96
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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97
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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98
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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99
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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100
suites
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| n.套( suite的名词复数 )；一套房间；一套家具；一套公寓 | |
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101
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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102
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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103
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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104
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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105
turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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106
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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107
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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108
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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109
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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110
vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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111
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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112
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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113
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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114
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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115
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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116
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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117
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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118
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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119
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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120
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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121
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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122
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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123
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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124
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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125
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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126
eschew
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| v.避开，戒绝 | |
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127
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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128
defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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129
dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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130
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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131
rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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132
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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133
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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134
thwarting
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| 阻挠( thwart的现在分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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135
spoke
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| 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 | |
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136
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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137
staple
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| n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类 | |
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138
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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139
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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140
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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141
tenure
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| n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期 | |
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142
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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143
solicited
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| v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 | |
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144
antipathy
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| n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物 | |
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145
humbled
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| adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低 | |
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146
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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147
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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148
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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149
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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150
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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151
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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152
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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153
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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154
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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155
ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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156
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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157
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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158
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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159
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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160
gusty
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| adj.起大风的 | |
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161
quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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162
quells
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的第三人称单数 ) | |
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163
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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164
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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165
incandescent
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| adj.遇热发光的， 白炽的，感情强烈的 | |
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166
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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167
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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168
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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169
transfusing
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| v.输（血或别的液体）( transfuse的现在分词 )；渗透；使…被灌输或传达 | |
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170
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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171
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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172
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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173
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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174
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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175
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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176
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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177
pulsation
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| n.脉搏，悸动，脉动；搏动性 | |
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178
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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179
throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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180
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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181
tempestuous
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| adj.狂暴的 | |
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182
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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183
adornment
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| n.装饰；装饰品 | |
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184
cleansed
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| 弄干净，清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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185
misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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186
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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187
turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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188
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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189
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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190
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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191
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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192
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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193
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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194
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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195
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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196
observatory
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| n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台 | |
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197
transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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198
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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199
diligent
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| adj.勤勉的，勤奋的 | |
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200
constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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201
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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202
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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203
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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204
attainable
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| a.可达到的，可获得的 | |
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205
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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206
meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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207
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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208
longings
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| 渴望，盼望( longing的名词复数 ) | |
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209
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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210
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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211
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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212
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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213
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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214
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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215
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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216
frolicsome
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| adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的 | |
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217
primrose
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| n.樱草，最佳部分， | |
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218
moths
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| n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
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219
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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220
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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221
reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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222
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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223
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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224
begotten
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| v.为…之生父( beget的过去分词 )；产生，引起 | |
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225
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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226
paradox
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| n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物) | |
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227
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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228
bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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229
droop
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| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
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230
recondite
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| adj.深奥的，难解的 | |
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231
converging
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| adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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232
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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233
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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234
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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235
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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236
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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237
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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