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KATYA’S WOOING
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 To
Jack1 Kahane
{169}
IT was in May, 1912, that Katya Kontorompa met cosmopolitan2 Guy Fallon, and decided3 to make him fall in love with her. She was staying at the Olympos Hotel, in Salonika, with her mother, and Fallon had a suite4 of rooms on the ground floor. He was tall, dark, and vivid; moreover, he was young; best of all, he was fabulously5 wealthy.
“A week next Thursday,” said Katya one afternoon to her mother, as they sat on the shaded balcony on the first floor, “Guy Fallon will propose to me. It will take place in the evening in one of those boats.”
She nodded towards a flotilla of little rowing-boats that stirred lazily to the rhythm of the lazy waves.
“Yes?” inquired her mother, who sat in a low chair looking benevolently6 at the world that God had made specially7 for her.
“And though I shall be a little timid at first,” continued Katya, “I shall say yes as soon as he has kissed me passionately8 on the mouth. But not until. I think he would kiss rather well, don’t you?”
“I think he would be thorough, dear.... But we musn’t talk like this. I never used even to think like it till you came home from Brussels.”
“Would you like Guy for a son-in-law, mamma?”
As a matter of fact, Mrs. Kontorompa was fascinated by Fallon almost as much as her daughter was, and it was with a wholly sensuous10 feeling that she closed her lids and said:{170}
“Yes, dear, I should—very much.”
“But the kind of kisses he would bestow11 upon you, mamma, would be very different from those I should get,” said Katya, mischievously12.
But though Fallon saw a good deal of the two ladies during the next few days, there was something in his manner that made Mrs. Kontorompa suspect he had no intention of marrying her daughter. He was in love with her—yes; but it was not quite the kind of love that leads to marriage. Rather was it the kind of hot, uneasy passion that persecutes13 a man until he has gained his desire, when it shrinks and dies like an orchid14 in a night of frost. But Katya, of course, was extraordinarily15 clever: ignobly16 so. She was directing the affair with elaborate carefulness, confident that in the end she would trap this bright tiger of a man in her net of conspiracies17.
Though living in the same hotel, Fallon wrote to her twice every day. Sitting up in bed in his yellow pyjamas18 each night, he wrote just before he slept, and the note was delivered by his valet to Katya’s maid at eight o’clock every morning. And just before dinner in the evening he also wrote, and this letter he himself handed to Katya as they said good night. Fallon knew how to write. He had a habit of intoxicating19 himself with words, and though each letter said: “I love you! I want you!” he rescued himself from monotony and her from boredom20, by saying the same thing in a hundred different ways. But he was never tender, and Mrs. Kontorompa, who eagerly read the letters Katya passed on to her, was driven on one occasion to remark:{171}
“It is not marriage-love. Your father has never loved me like that!”
“Poor mamma!” murmured Katya; “poor mamma! But don’t you wish he had?”
Fallon was with the Kontorompas almost every hour of every day. In the afternoons, when Mrs. Kontorompa slept, the two lovers played pianoforte duets in the big, deserted21 lounge. Fallon was a masterful pianist, and he played in a manner that suggested intense hunger of the soul. In these hours he had no courtesy, and when she bungled22 a passage he would scowl23 at her and call her a little fool. And at this she would laugh and play carelessly in order to taste his anger once again....
“To-day is Thursday,” announced Katya, one morning, as she and her mother breakfasted alone in their room.
“So it is,” agreed her mother, without conviction.
“But I mean it’s the Thursday. This evening Guy will ask me to marry him. After dinner he and I will walk to the White Tower. There we shall get a boat. Guy will row. There will be a moon.”
She spoke24 as though she had arranged for the moon to be there.
“Do take care of yourself, dear. Mr. Fallon is so dark and so ... so impulsive25. You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I know what you mean, mamm{172}a; but those little rowing-boats are quite safe in more senses than one.”
And because she was so anxious for the evening to come, Katya found the bright hours of the day tepid26 and slow. She was very quiet and subdued27 in the afternoon, when Fallon found her in the empty lounge.
“Come and play!” he commanded.
“I feel languid and lazy, like a cat in the sun,” she said; “besides, I’m reading.”
“Very well—we’ll play the Petite Suite of Debussy’s and some other tame stuff. Let’s sentimentalize together.”
“Oh, but you’d find out too much about me. We should get too close to each other in that soft, melting music.”
“Is it possible for us to get too close to each other?” he asked, with a laugh that seemed to be half a sneer28.
She rose, and together they walked to the piano.
Only those who have played in concerted music know how easy it is for two souls to mingle29 in sound. They enjoy an intimacy30 which no passionate9 avowals, no tender pleadings, and, indeed, no physical contact can provide. Debussy is never entirely31 innocent: even his gold-fishes swim wantonly in their pool: and the very tender miniatures of the Petite Suite are decadent32 with faint exhalations of patchouli.
Fallon detested33 the casual promiscuities of secret lovers—the pressure of hands, the stolen kisses, the entire vocabulary of illicitness34. He had the fastidiousness of the gourmet35, and as yet his body had tasted nothing of Katya’s d{173}elights, save the sharp thrill that eyes can communicate, and the peculiar36, ghostly, but sensuous intimacy supplied by music.
Katya’s moon was in its appointed place as the two lovers silently descended37 the quay38 at the White Tower and embarked39 in their little boat. Guy rowed out into the bay. There was no breathing in the air, no ripple40 on the sea. The stars made magic in the sky, and conspired41 with the moon to create a feeling of far-off voluptuousness42.
Fallon rowed lazily until they were a mile or so from the town, which was visible as a vast congeries of lights—chains of lights, terraces of lights, huge constellations43 poised44 in the air, lonely points of flame burning in solitary45 places.
“Like a huge window full of jewels,” said Katya.
The tens of thousands of lights were reflected in the sea as clearly as a face is reflected in a mirror.
“Which is the more real?” asked Fallon; “the city’s illumination or the sea’s version of it?”
“The water is quite warm,” said Katya, laying a white hand on the surface of the indigo46 sea.
“Yes,” said Fallon. “You could, if you wished, more easily plunge47 your hand into my heart than into that water.”{174}
“I know,” she said; “perhaps some day I will.”
“Perhaps some day it will be too late. I cannot go on loving you like this—desperately48—for ever. Love can be broken by its own strength.”
“You must not threaten me,” she said. “Your attraction for me is your strength: strong people do not threaten. They do not even warn.”
“Then you do love me?”
“Of course. That is, if you call it love.”
“If I lean forward I can kiss your ankle.”
She laughed.
“Humour must be preserved even if propriety49 isn’t,” she said; “nevertheless, you may kiss it.”
She felt the long warmth of his lips through her puce-coloured silk stockings. A hot wind suddenly came from the south, stirring the sea to life.
“And now,” she said, “you’d better row back.”
“We were fools to come here,” he said.
“Yes?... Why? Tell me.”
But he sat moodily50 for a minute without speaking. Then he lit a cigarette, and by the light of his match Katya saw the passion in his eyes.
“You’re a bit of a tiger,” she said.
“And you’re much of an iceberg,” he retorted.
“Passionless, cold, serene,” she quoted. “I wonder if I am. I’ve never yet had the chance of finding out.”{175}
But he made no reply. His silence, his lack of directness, the lazy contemptuous manner in which he smoked his cigarette, whipped her to anger.
“Let’s go back,” she said, abruptly52.
“No,” he replied, with grimness. “I’ve got you here.”
“Very well,” she said; “then give me a cigarette.”
He threw her a case and a box of matches.
Then, suddenly, words came from him in a torrent53.
“You confess you love me. Well, if you do—passion’s what I want. Affection’s nothing to me. You’ve ‘never yet had a chance of finding out.’ Do you expect me to believe that? You were made to tempt51 men ... and to satisfy them. Listen, Katya: I love every bit of you. You’re not cold. You could kiss, I know. Let me row you back.”
His cigarette gave a little hiss54 as it hit the water. He threw his arms forward, desperately.
“Yes, let me row you back,” he repeated.
“I love you,” she answered, “but I can never be your mistress. I’m not angry with you....”
“Do you think I should care if you were?” he interrupted, violently. “Do you think I care a damn for your anger?—or your love? You would like to be cruel to me: I know: I know your sort. But I can wash you from my mind as easily as the sea has put out my cigarette.”
“Oh, no!” she said; “you can’t do that. You know yo{176}u can’t. Something of me will be with you always.”
He took the oars55 and began to row. The little indigo waves passed by them; the feathered oars slid along their crests56. At each pull the boat leapt; something of his strength was imparted to her body; she quivered in response.
At the quay of the White Tower he was rough and insolent57.
“Get out, quick!” he commanded; “let’s finish this ridiculous business as speedily as possible.”
She turned upon him with an amused smile.
“You have the most dreadful manners of any man I have ever met,” she said, with a little laugh. “When you are in a temper, you are about twelve years old.”
He called a gharry, waited until she had stepped into it, and then strode away.
Mrs. Kontorompa was sitting up in bed, reading, when Katya opened her mother’s bedroom door. She looked at her daughter with a contented58 smile.
“Nothing happened,” announced Katya. “He does not want to marry me.”
“My poor child! Never mind: there were weeks and weeks when I used to think the same about your father. Men never know their own minds.”
“But Fallon shall know his,” said Katya; “I’m as clever as any man I’ve come across yet.”{177}
“Do be careful, dear. You were careful to-night?”
“Very. He only kissed my ankle.”
“Your ankle!” exclaimed her mother, in amazement59; “whatever for? Why should he want to kiss your ankle?”
“Well,” said Katya, laughing, “I’ve got rather a nice ankle, you know.”
Mrs. Kontorompa, who had no ankles at all, but merely calves60 terminating in feet, sighed anxiously.
“Your father never kissed my ankles,” she said, disapprovingly61.
“Ask him to!” urged Katya, mischievously; “it’s a delightful62 feeling.”
A week later Fallon, dressed in white duck, knocked early one morning at Mrs. Kontorompa’s drawing-room door. Katya and Katya’s mother were to go with him to Langaza to picnic. But at the very last moment Mrs. Kontorompa, as had been arranged between her daughter and herself, felt indisposed.
“You will come by yourself,” said Fallon.
“Of course,” answered Katya.
The chauffeur63 was discreet64 and unobservant: he was paid a very large salary for not seeing things.
Their car was fitted with a lace awning65, but the air was so hot and dry, that before they were well over the deserted Lembet plain they were inordinately66 thirsty. So Fallon stopped the car and opened a half-bottle of champagne67.{178}
“I didn’t bring champagne just because it’s expensive,” he explained, “but because I know you like it. Look!—the ice is half melted already.”
“It will be cooler by the lake,” said Katya; “there may even be a little breeze. I never drink champagne on a hot day,” she added, “without longing68 to have a bath in it. It would tingle69 so deliciously, like electricity.”
“Sensualist! I’ve often noticed you love the sensations you’ve never experienced.”
“The worst of it is, there are so few of them left.”
But Fallon was not interested, and he threw the empty bottle on the roadside with a gesture of boredom.
“Drive on!” he ordered the chauffeur.
When a mile from Langaza Lake, the car was drawn70 up by the side of the deserted road, and their chauffeur spread out their lunch under the shade of a little grove71 of poplars.
In silence they ate and drank. The sun-baked plain sent waves of visible heat into the sky. No birds sang. The bronze sound of a sheep-bell came from afar.
“Life passes,” said Katya, at length, “and we grow older.”
“True,” answered he, mockingly. “It is only the grass that never withers72. It was here ten thousand years ago, and it is here to-day.”
“But you and I!—how quickly age will come to us!” she said.
“How foolish, then, to waste our youth!” he urged. “Sometime{179}s I feel angry at those days which slip by empty of ecstasy73. Waste! It’s all waste! Waste of days, of months, of years! Just because we refuse to take what life offers us. We do not live for ever, and the things that taste sweet to-day will in a few years be but bitterness and ashes.”
He allowed his wine-glass to slip from his lax fingers on to the grass.
“Let us walk,” he said; “I’m restless.”
So they rose and walked slowly towards the lake.
“What is that parcel you are carrying?” he asked, when they were near the lake’s border.
“Oh, I thought perhaps I’d do some sketching74 when we got to the lake. We can sit down, and you may smoke while I work. No, thanks: I can easily carry it myself.”
They walked on in silence. Then:
“You were talking about waste,” she said.
“Was I? Yes. But it’s a dreary75 subject. I was lecturing you, really, you know; for you’re wasting my life as well as your own. You’re destroying these days. It’s just a week since you told me you loved me.”
“Yes, but I said ‘if you call it love.’ To you love is one thing; to me, another.”
“Why? What do you imagine is my idea of love?”
“Just appetite—the satisfaction of an appetite.”
“And your idea?”
“Service.”{180}
He laughed on a high note of contempt.
“You deceive yourself,” he said. “Do you think I don’t know you? Do you think I live with my eyes shut? If you were to confess that your idea of love is a means of obtaining security against life, I’d believe you. In other words—you like me in my brutal76 moods, don’t you?—if I asked you to marry me, you would serve me for what I would give you in return. Is that what you mean by service?”
“You believe, then, I would accept your invitation if you asked me to marry you?”
“Most assuredly. Let’s finish this subtle, month-old fight of ours, and speak in plain words.”
“But we understand each other so well without plain words!” she protested.
“Do we? I wonder. Tell me, then: why don’t I ask you to marry me?”
“Because you don’t love me. Your body merely aches for mine. You suffer, I know.”
“Yes, I do,” he acknowledged; “but I can endure pain. Most men can’t: that is why they are willing to incur77 the discomfort78 and long penance79 of marriage—anything rather than continue to suffer.”
“Then why don’t you go away? Why don’t you leave me altogether?”
But he did not answer.
“Is it,” she asked, “because you still hope to win me without marriage?”
He turned upon her savagely80.
“Temptress and taunter81!” he {181}exclaimed. “I know your sort. You love to feel your hideous82 power. You suck delight from my misery83.”
He drew nearer to her and seized one of her wrists.
“I love you,” he whispered; “isn’t that enough?”
They were in a little pathway among the rushes by the lake’s side. Suddenly, she wrested84 herself away from him and, raising her right arm, threw the parcel she carried into the lake. It floated on the surface, and the gentle south wind moved it slowly across the water in the direction of Langaza village, a couple of miles away.
She looked at him with a mocking smile.
“Let us go back,” she said, “for this is merely the waste of another day.”
“Why have you thrown your sketching things away?” he asked, stupidly.
“I haven’t. The things I have thrown away were once yours. Then they became mine. They will belong to the person who finds them.”
The words came hysterically85, and she trembled a little.
“What are they?” he asked.
“Your letters to me. I have finished with you. This is the end.”
He began to laugh, but his laughter quickly died in his throat.
“You fool!” he exclaimed; “you spiteful little devil! My name is on each of those letters.”
He quivered with {182}anger, and raised his fist as though to strike.
“I know,” she said. “That is one of the reasons why I threw them away. It is time your folly86 was known to others besides me.”
She looked upon him with malice87, delighting in his anger. Then she laughed softly, taunting88 him.
“Can’t you swim?” she asked. “See, it isn’t very far off.”
But he strode away in the direction of the motor-car. She called after him, gently, lovingly.
“Guy! Guy!”
He stopped and turned, his face and attitude contemptuous. Running up to him, she threw her arms about his neck and, half-sobbing, half-laughing, stammered89:
“Guy! Dear Guy! I was only fooling you. They were not your letters—not one of them. Your dearest letters I carry in my breast, next to my heart.”
He pressed his face hard against her neck.
“You little devil, you! Why do we torture each other like this?”
She clung to him desperately.
“Marry me! Marry me!” she implored90.
“Yes, I will: I’m damned if I won’t. But, I warn you—look out! We shall both have a hell of a time.”
“But there’ll be a month or two of heaven first,” she said, and, opening his shirt at the neck, she kissed him low down on his breast.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
2 cosmopolitan BzRxj     
adj.世界性的,全世界的,四海为家的,全球的
参考例句:
  • New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
  • She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。
3 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
4 suite MsMwB     
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员
参考例句:
  • She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
  • That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
5 fabulously 4161877a232b49d1803e1bea05514fd7     
难以置信地,惊人地
参考例句:
  • The couple are said to be fabulously wealthy. 据说这对夫妇家财万贯。
  • I should say this shirt matches your trousers fabulously. 我得说这衬衫同你的裤子非常相配。
6 benevolently cbc2f6883e3f60c12a75d387dd5dbd94     
adv.仁慈地,行善地
参考例句:
  • She looked on benevolently. 她亲切地站在一边看着。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
8 passionately YmDzQ4     
ad.热烈地,激烈地
参考例句:
  • She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿,也能爱得一往情深。
  • He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。
9 passionate rLDxd     
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
参考例句:
  • He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
  • He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
10 sensuous pzcwc     
adj.激发美感的;感官的,感觉上的
参考例句:
  • Don't get the idea that value of music is commensurate with its sensuous appeal.不要以为音乐的价值与其美的感染力相等。
  • The flowers that wreathed his parlor stifled him with their sensuous perfume.包围著客厅的花以其刺激人的香味使他窒息。
11 bestow 9t3zo     
v.把…赠与,把…授予;花费
参考例句:
  • He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
  • What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我?
12 mischievously 23cd35e8c65a34bd7a6d7ecbff03b336     
adv.有害地;淘气地
参考例句:
  • He mischievously looked for a chance to embarrass his sister. 他淘气地寻找机会让他的姐姐难堪。 来自互联网
  • Also has many a dream kindheartedness, is loves mischievously small lovable. 又有着多啦a梦的好心肠,是爱调皮的小可爱。 来自互联网
13 persecutes d834cbc660d3d13133dd7c039a2b5b65     
(尤指宗教或政治信仰的)迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的第三人称单数 ); 烦扰,困扰或骚扰某人
参考例句:
14 orchid b02yP     
n.兰花,淡紫色
参考例句:
  • The orchid is a class of plant which I have never tried to grow.兰花这类植物我从来没种过。
  • There are over 35 000 species of orchid distributed throughout the world.有35,000多种兰花分布在世界各地。
15 extraordinarily Vlwxw     
adv.格外地;极端地
参考例句:
  • She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
  • The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨,大海出奇地宁静。
16 ignobly 73202ab243b4ecec0eef8012f586e803     
卑贱地,下流地
参考例句:
17 conspiracies bb10ad9d56708cad7a00bd97a80be7d9     
n.阴谋,密谋( conspiracy的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • He was still alive and hatching his conspiracies. 他还活着,策划着阴谋诡计。 来自辞典例句
  • It appeared that they had engaged in fresh conspiracies from the very moment of their release. 看上去他们刚给释放,立刻开始新一轮的阴谋活动。 来自英汉文学
18 pyjamas 5SSx4     
n.(宽大的)睡衣裤
参考例句:
  • This pyjamas has many repairs.这件睡衣有许多修补过的地方。
  • Martin was in his pyjamas.马丁穿着睡衣。
19 intoxicating sqHzLB     
a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的
参考例句:
  • Power can be intoxicating. 权力能让人得意忘形。
  • On summer evenings the flowers gave forth an almost intoxicating scent. 夏日的傍晚,鲜花散发出醉人的芳香。
20 boredom ynByy     
n.厌烦,厌倦,乏味,无聊
参考例句:
  • Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
  • A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。
21 deserted GukzoL     
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的
参考例句:
  • The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
  • The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
22 bungled dedbc53d4a8d18ca5ec91a3ac0f1e2b5     
v.搞糟,完不成( bungle的过去式和过去分词 );笨手笨脚地做;失败;完不成
参考例句:
  • They bungled the job. 他们把活儿搞糟了。
  • John bungled the job. 约翰把事情搞糟了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
23 scowl HDNyX     
vi.(at)生气地皱眉,沉下脸,怒视;n.怒容
参考例句:
  • I wonder why he is wearing an angry scowl.我不知道他为何面带怒容。
  • The boss manifested his disgust with a scowl.老板面带怒色,清楚表示出他的厌恶之感。
24 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。
25 impulsive M9zxc     
adj.冲动的,刺激的;有推动力的
参考例句:
  • She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
  • He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人,也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。
26 tepid Ggkyl     
adj.微温的,温热的,不太热心的
参考例句:
  • She bent her mouth to the tap and drank the tepid water.她把嘴伸到水龙头底下去喝那微温的水。
  • Her feet firmly planted on the tepid rough brick of the floor.她一双脚稳固地立在微温而粗糙的砖地上。
27 subdued 76419335ce506a486af8913f13b8981d     
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
  • I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候,我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。
28 sneer YFdzu     
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语
参考例句:
  • He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
  • You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
29 mingle 3Dvx8     
vt.使混合,使相混;vi.混合起来;相交往
参考例句:
  • If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中,就不会被注意到。
  • Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。
30 intimacy z4Vxx     
n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行
参考例句:
  • His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切,这有点言过其实。
  • I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。
31 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
32 decadent HaYyZ     
adj.颓废的,衰落的,堕落的
参考例句:
  • Don't let decadent ideas eat into yourselves.别让颓废的思想侵蚀你们。
  • This song was once banned, because it was regarded as decadent.这首歌曾经被认定为是靡靡之音而被禁止播放。
33 detested e34cc9ea05a83243e2c1ed4bd90db391     
v.憎恶,嫌恶,痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • They detested each other on sight. 他们互相看着就不顺眼。
  • The freethinker hated the formalist; the lover of liberty detested the disciplinarian. 自由思想者总是不喜欢拘泥形式者,爱好自由者总是憎恶清规戒律者。 来自辞典例句
34 illicitness d25a6f4bce06ff7aca72bfe07e39c2c9     
illicit(违法的)的变形
参考例句:
35 gourmet 8eqzb     
n.食物品尝家;adj.出于美食家之手的
参考例句:
  • What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么?
  • A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。
36 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
参考例句:
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
37 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
38 quay uClyc     
n.码头,靠岸处
参考例句:
  • There are all kinds of ships in a quay.码头停泊各式各样的船。
  • The side of the boat hit the quay with a grinding jar.船舷撞到码头发出刺耳的声音。
39 embarked e63154942be4f2a5c3c51f6b865db3de     
乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 ); 装载; 从事
参考例句:
  • We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
  • She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。
40 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。
41 conspired 6d377e365eb0261deeef136f58f35e27     
密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 ); 搞阴谋; (事件等)巧合; 共同导致
参考例句:
  • They conspired to bring about the meeting of the two people. 他们共同促成了两人的会面。
  • Bad weather and car trouble conspired to ruin our vacation. 恶劣的气候连同汽车故障断送了我们的假日。
42 voluptuousness de6eaedd2ced2c83d1d1ba98add84fe5     
n.风骚,体态丰满
参考例句:
  • It is a magnificent wine with a soft voluptuousness more reminiscent of old-fashioned burgundy. 这是一种很棒的葡萄酒,温和醇厚,更像传统的勃艮第葡萄酒。 来自柯林斯例句
43 constellations ee34f7988ee4aa80f9502f825177c85d     
n.星座( constellation的名词复数 );一群杰出人物;一系列(相关的想法、事物);一群(相关的人)
参考例句:
  • The map of the heavens showed all the northern constellations. 这份天体图标明了北半部所有的星座。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • His time was coming, he would move in the constellations of power. 他时来运转,要进入权力中心了。 来自教父部分
44 poised SlhzBU     
a.摆好姿势不动的
参考例句:
  • The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋,准备俯冲。
  • Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张,手悬在电话机上。
45 solitary 7FUyx     
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士
参考例句:
  • I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
  • The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际,显得十分壮美。
46 indigo 78FxQ     
n.靛青,靛蓝
参考例句:
  • The sky was indigo blue,and a great many stars were shining.天空一片深蓝,闪烁着点点繁星。
  • He slipped into an indigo tank.他滑落到蓝靛桶中。
47 plunge 228zO     
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲
参考例句:
  • Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
  • That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
48 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地
参考例句:
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
49 propriety oRjx4     
n.正当行为;正当;适当
参考例句:
  • We hesitated at the propriety of the method.我们对这种办法是否适用拿不定主意。
  • The sensitive matter was handled with great propriety.这件机密的事处理得极为适当。
50 moodily 830ff6e3db19016ccfc088bb2ad40745     
adv.喜怒无常地;情绪多变地;心情不稳地;易生气地
参考例句:
  • Pork slipped from the room as she remained staring moodily into the distance. 阿宝从房间里溜了出来,留她独个人站在那里瞪着眼睛忧郁地望着远处。 来自辞典例句
  • He climbed moodily into the cab, relieved and distressed. 他忧郁地上了马车,既松了一口气,又忧心忡忡。 来自互联网
51 tempt MpIwg     
vt.引诱,勾引,吸引,引起…的兴趣
参考例句:
  • Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
  • The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了,可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。
52 abruptly iINyJ     
adv.突然地,出其不意地
参考例句:
  • He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
  • I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。
53 torrent 7GCyH     
n.激流,洪流;爆发,(话语等的)连发
参考例句:
  • The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
  • Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。
54 hiss 2yJy9     
v.发出嘶嘶声;发嘘声表示不满
参考例句:
  • We can hear the hiss of air escaping from a tire.我们能听到一只轮胎的嘶嘶漏气声。
  • Don't hiss at the speaker.不要嘘演讲人。
55 oars c589a112a1b341db7277ea65b5ec7bf7     
n.桨,橹( oar的名词复数 );划手v.划(行)( oar的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
  • The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
56 crests 9ef5f38e01ed60489f228ef56d77c5c8     
v.到达山顶(或浪峰)( crest的第三人称单数 );到达洪峰,达到顶点
参考例句:
  • The surfers were riding in towards the beach on the crests of the waves. 冲浪者们顺着浪头冲向岸边。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The correspondent aroused, heard the crash of the toppled crests. 记者醒了,他听见了浪头倒塌下来的轰隆轰隆声。 来自辞典例句
57 insolent AbGzJ     
adj.傲慢的,无理的
参考例句:
  • His insolent manner really got my blood up.他那傲慢的态度把我的肺都气炸了。
  • It was insolent of them to demand special treatment.他们要求给予特殊待遇,脸皮真厚。
58 contented Gvxzof     
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
参考例句:
  • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
  • The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
59 amazement 7zlzBK     
n.惊奇,惊讶
参考例句:
  • All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
  • He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
60 calves bb808da8ca944ebdbd9f1d2688237b0b     
n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子,腓;腿肚子( calf的名词复数 );牛犊;腓;小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 );(冰川)崩解;生(小牛等),产(犊);使(冰川)崩解
参考例句:
  • a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
  • The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》
61 disapprovingly 6500b8d388ebb4d1b87ab0bd19005179     
adv.不以为然地,不赞成地,非难地
参考例句:
  • When I suggested a drink, she coughed disapprovingly. 我提议喝一杯时,她咳了一下表示反对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He shook his head disapprovingly. 他摇了摇头,表示不赞成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
62 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
63 chauffeur HrGzL     
n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机;v.为…开车
参考例句:
  • The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
  • She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。
64 discreet xZezn     
adj.(言行)谨慎的;慎重的;有判断力的
参考例句:
  • He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
  • It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。
65 awning LeVyZ     
n.遮阳篷;雨篷
参考例句:
  • A large green awning is set over the glass window to shelter against the sun.在玻璃窗上装了个绿色的大遮棚以遮挡阳光。
  • Several people herded under an awning to get out the shower.几个人聚集在门栅下避阵雨
66 inordinately 272444323467c5583592cff7e97a03df     
adv.无度地,非常地
参考例句:
  • But if you are determined to accumulate wealth, it isn't inordinately difficult. 不过,如果你下决心要积累财富,事情也不是太难。 来自互联网
  • She was inordinately smart. 她非常聪明。 来自互联网
67 champagne iwBzh3     
n.香槟酒;微黄色
参考例句:
  • There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
  • They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。
68 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。
69 tingle tJzzu     
vi.感到刺痛,感到激动;n.刺痛,激动
参考例句:
  • The music made my blood tingle.那音乐使我热血沸腾。
  • The cold caused a tingle in my fingers.严寒使我的手指有刺痛感。
70 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。
71 grove v5wyy     
n.林子,小树林,园林
参考例句:
  • On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
  • The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。
72 withers e30bf7b384bb09fe0dc96663bb9cde0b     
马肩隆
参考例句:
  • The girl's pitiful history would wring one's withers. 这女孩子的经历令人心碎。
  • "I will be there to show you," and so Mr. Withers withdrew. “我会等在那里,领你去看房间的,"威瑟斯先生这样说着,退了出去。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
73 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。
74 sketching 2df579f3d044331e74dce85d6a365dd7     
n.草图
参考例句:
  • They are sketching out proposals for a new road. 他们正在草拟修建新路的计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • "Imagination is busy sketching rose-tinted pictures of joy. “飞舞驰骋的想象描绘出一幅幅玫瑰色欢乐的场景。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
75 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。
76 brutal bSFyb     
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的
参考例句:
  • She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
  • They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼,骨子里却是野蛮残忍。
77 incur 5bgzy     
vt.招致,蒙受,遭遇
参考例句:
  • Any costs that you incur will be reimbursed in full.你的所有花费都将全额付还。
  • An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business.一个企业为了维持营业,就不得不承担一定的费用和开支。
78 discomfort cuvxN     
n.不舒服,不安,难过,困难,不方便
参考例句:
  • One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
  • She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。
79 penance Uulyx     
n.(赎罪的)惩罪
参考例句:
  • They had confessed their sins and done their penance.他们已经告罪并做了补赎。
  • She knelt at her mother's feet in penance.她忏悔地跪在母亲脚下。
80 savagely 902f52b3c682f478ddd5202b40afefb9     
adv. 野蛮地,残酷地
参考例句:
  • The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
  • He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。
81 taunter 39bb976aa270d67a840a8d5faa215eef     
taunt(嘲笑,奚落;辱骂;说挖苦话)的变形
参考例句:
82 hideous 65KyC     
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的
参考例句:
  • The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
  • They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗,是丑陋的畜牲。
83 misery G10yi     
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦
参考例句:
  • Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
  • He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。
84 wrested 687939d2c0d23b901d6d3b68cda5319a     
(用力)拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 ); 费力取得; (从…)攫取; ( 从… ) 强行取去…
参考例句:
  • The usurper wrested the power from the king. 篡位者从国王手里夺取了权力。
  • But now it was all wrested from him. 可是现在,他却被剥夺了这一切。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
85 hysterically 5q7zmQ     
ad. 歇斯底里地
参考例句:
  • The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。
  • She sobbed hysterically, and her thin body was shaken. 她歇斯底里地抽泣着,她瘦弱的身体哭得直颤抖。
86 folly QgOzL     
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话
参考例句:
  • Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
  • Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。
87 malice P8LzW     
n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋
参考例句:
  • I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
  • There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。
88 taunting ee4ff0e688e8f3c053c7fbb58609ef58     
嘲讽( taunt的现在分词 ); 嘲弄; 辱骂; 奚落
参考例句:
  • She wagged a finger under his nose in a taunting gesture. 她当着他的面嘲弄地摇晃着手指。
  • His taunting inclination subdued for a moment by the old man's grief and wildness. 老人的悲伤和狂乱使他那嘲弄的意图暂时收敛起来。
89 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠,结结巴巴地说,“你是什么意思?” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
90 implored 0b089ebf3591e554caa381773b194ff1     
恳求或乞求(某人)( implore的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She implored him to stay. 她恳求他留下。
  • She implored him with tears in her eyes to forgive her. 她含泪哀求他原谅她。


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