Hannah Shoecraft told another cousin that, for her part, she never believed that Ruth had so much more “mind” than other people; and Cousin Hulda added that she always thought Ruth was fond of admiration3, and that was the reason she was unwilling4 to wear plain clothes and attend Meeting. The story that Ruth was “engaged” to a young gentleman of fortune in Fallkill came with the other news, and helped to give point to the little satirical remarks that went round about Ruth’s desire to be a doctor!
Margaret Bolton was too wise to be either surprised or alarmed by these rumors. They might be true; she knew a woman’s nature too well to think them improbable, but she also knew how steadfast5 Ruth was in her purposes, and that, as a brook6 breaks into ripples7 and eddies8 and dances and sports by the way, and yet keeps on to the sea, it was in Ruth’s nature to give back cheerful answer to the solicitations of friendliness9 and pleasure, to appear idly delaying even, and sporting in the sunshine, while the current of her resolution flowed steadily10 on.
That Ruth had this delight in the mere11 surface play of life that she could, for instance, be interested in that somewhat serious by-play called “flirtation,” or take any delight in the exercise of those little arts of pleasing and winning which are none the less genuine and charming because they are not intellectual, Ruth, herself, had never suspected until she went to Fallkill. She had believed it her duty to subdue12 her gaiety of temperament13, and let nothing divert her from what are called serious pursuits: In her limited experience she brought everything to the judgment14 of her own conscience, and settled the affairs of all the world in her own serene15 judgment hall. Perhaps her mother saw this, and saw also that there was nothing in the Friends’ society to prevent her from growing more and more opinionated.
When Ruth returned to Philadelphia, it must be confessed—though it would not have been by her—that a medical career did seem a little less necessary for her than formerly16; and coming back in a glow of triumph, as it were, and in the consciousness of the freedom and life in a lively society and in new and sympathetic friendship, she anticipated pleasure in an attempt to break up the stiffness and levelness of the society at home, and infusing into it something of the motion and sparkle which were so agreeable at Fallkill. She expected visits from her new friends, she would have company, the new books and the periodicals about which all the world was talking, and, in short, she would have life.
For a little while she lived in this atmosphere which she had brought with her. Her mother was delighted with this change in her, with the improvement in her health and the interest she exhibited in home affairs. Her father enjoyed the society of his favorite daughter as he did few things besides; he liked her mirthful and teasing ways, and not less a keen battle over something she had read. He had been a great reader all his life, and a remarkable17 memory had stored his mind with encyclopaedic information. It was one of Ruth’s delights to cram18 herself with some out of the way subject and endeavor to catch her father; but she almost always failed. Mr. Bolton liked company, a house full of it, and the mirth of young people, and he would have willingly entered into any revolutionary plans Ruth might have suggested in relation to Friends’ society.
But custom and the fixed19 order are stronger than the most enthusiastic and rebellious20 young lady, as Ruth very soon found. In spite of all her brave efforts, her frequent correspondence, and her determined21 animation22, her books and her music, she found herself settling into the clutches of the old monotony, and as she realized the hopelessness of her endeavors, the medical scheme took new hold of her, and seemed to her the only method of escape.
“Mother, thee does not know how different it is in Fallkill, how much more interesting the people are one meets, how much more life there is.”
“But thee will find the world, child, pretty much all the same, when thee knows it better. I thought once as thee does now, and had as little thought of being a Friend as thee has. Perhaps when thee has seen more, thee will better appreciate a quiet life.”
“Thee married young. I shall not marry young, and perhaps not at all,” said Ruth, with a look of vast experience.
“Perhaps thee doesn’t know thee own mind; I have known persons of thy age who did not. Did thee see anybody whom thee would like to live with always in Fallkill?”
“Not always,” replied Ruth with a little laugh. “Mother, I think I wouldn’t say ‘always’ to any one until I have a profession and am as independent as he is. Then my love would be a free act, and not in any way a necessity.”
Margaret Bolton smiled at this new-fangled philosophy. “Thee will find that love, Ruth, is a thing thee won’t reason about, when it comes, nor make any bargains about. Thee wrote that Philip Sterling23 was at Fallkill.”
“Yes, and Henry Brierly, a friend of his; a very amusing young fellow and not so serious-minded as Philip, but a bit of a fop maybe.”
“And thee preferred the fop to the serious-minded?”
“I didn’t prefer anybody; but Henry Brierly was good company, which Philip wasn’t always.”
“Did thee know thee father had been in correspondence with Philip?”
Ruth looked up surprised and with a plain question in her eyes.
“Oh, it’s not about thee.”
“What then?” and if there was any shade of disappointment in her tone, probably Ruth herself did not know it.
“It’s about some land up in the country. That man Bigler has got father into another speculation24.”
“Yes. Father advanced money and took land as security, and whatever has gone with the money and the bonds, he has on his hands a large tract26 of wild land.”
“And what has Philip to do with that?”
“It has good timber, if it could ever be got out, and father says that there must be coal in it; it’s in a coal region. He wants Philip to survey it, and examine it for indications of coal.”
“It’s another of father’s fortunes, I suppose,” said Ruth. “He has put away so many fortunes for us that I’m afraid we never shall find them.”
Ruth was interested in it nevertheless, and perhaps mainly because Philip was to be connected with the enterprise. Mr. Bigler came to dinner with her father next day, and talked a great deal about Mr. Bolton’s magnificent tract of land, extolled27 the sagacity that led him to secure such a property, and led the talk along to another railroad which would open a northern communication to this very land.
“Pennybacker says it’s full of coal, he’s no doubt of it, and a railroad to strike the Erie would make it a fortune.”
“Suppose you take the land and work the thing up, Mr. Bigler; you may have the tract for three dollars an acre.”
“You’d throw it away, then,” replied Mr. Bigler, “and I’m not the man to take advantage of a friend. But if you’ll put a mortgage on it for the northern road, I wouldn’t mind taking an interest, if Pennybacker is willing; but Pennybacker, you know, don’t go much on land, he sticks to the legislature.” And Mr. Bigler laughed.
When Mr. Bigler had gone, Ruth asked her father about Philip’s connection with the land scheme.
“There’s nothing definite,” said Mr. Bolton. “Philip is showing aptitude28 for his profession. I hear the best reports of him in New York, though those sharpers don’t intend to do anything but use him. I’ve written and offered him employment in surveying and examining the land. We want to know what it is. And if there is anything in it that his enterprise can dig out, he shall have an interest. I should be glad to give the young fellow a lift.”
All his life Eli Bolton had been giving young fellows a lift, and shouldering the loses when things turned out unfortunately. His ledger29, take-it-altogether, would not show a balance on the right side; but perhaps the losses on his books will turn out to be credits in a world where accounts are kept on a different basis. The left hand of the ledger will appear the right, looked at from the other side.
Philip, wrote to Ruth rather a comical account of the bursting up of the city of Napoleon and the navigation improvement scheme, of Harry30’s flight and the Colonel’s discomfiture31. Harry left in such a hurry that he hadn’t even time to bid Miss Laura Hawkins good-bye, but he had no doubt that Harry would console himself with the next pretty face he saw—a remark which was thrown in for Ruth’s benefit. Col. Sellers had in all probability, by this time, some other equally brilliant speculation in his brain.
As to the railroad, Philip had made up his mind that it was merely kept on foot for speculative32 purposes in Wall street, and he was about to quit it. Would Ruth be glad to hear, he wondered, that he was coming East? For he was coming, in spite of a letter from Harry in New York, advising him to hold on until he had made some arrangements in regard to contracts, he to be a little careful about Sellers, who was somewhat visionary, Harry said.
The summer went on without much excitement for Ruth. She kept up a correspondence with Alice, who promised a visit in the fall, she read, she earnestly tried to interest herself in home affairs and such people as came to the house; but she found herself falling more and more into reveries, and growing weary of things as they were. She felt that everybody might become in time like two relatives from a Shaker establishment in Ohio, who visited the Boltons about this time, a father and son, clad exactly alike, and alike in manners. The son; however, who was not of age, was more unworldly and sanctimonious33 than his father; he always addressed his parent as “Brother Plum,” and bore himself, altogether in such a superior manner that Ruth longed to put bent34 pins in his chair. Both father and son wore the long, single breasted collarless coats of their society, without buttons, before or behind, but with a row of hooks and eyes on either side in front. It was Ruth’s suggestion that the coats would be improved by a single hook and eye sewed on in the small of the back where the buttons usually are.
Amusing as this Shaker caricature of the Friends was, it oppressed Ruth beyond measure; and increased her feeling of being stifled35.
It was a most unreasonable36 feeling. No home could be pleasanter than Ruth’s. The house, a little out of the city; was one of those elegant country residences which so much charm visitors to the suburbs of Philadelphia. A modern dwelling37 and luxurious38 in everything that wealth could suggest for comfort, it stood in the midst of exquisitely39 kept lawns, with groups of trees, parterres of flowers massed in colors, with greenhouse, grapery and garden; and on one side, the garden sloped away in undulations to a shallow brook that ran over a pebbly40 bottom and sang under forest trees. The country about was the perfection of cultivated landscape, dotted with cottages, and stately mansions41 of Revolutionary date, and sweet as an English country-side, whether seen in the soft bloom of May or in the mellow42 ripeness of late October.
It needed only the peace of the mind within, to make it a paradise. One riding by on the Old Germantown road, and seeing a young girl swinging in the hammock on the piazza43 and, intent upon some volume of old poetry or the latest novel, would no doubt have envied a life so idyllic44. He could not have imagined that the young girl was reading a volume of reports of clinics and longing45 to be elsewhere.
Ruth could not have been more discontented if all the wealth about her had been as unsubstantial as a dream. Perhaps she so thought it.
“I feel,” she once said to her father, “as if I were living in a house of cards.”
“And thee would like to turn it into a hospital?”
“No. But tell me father,” continued Ruth, not to be put off, “is thee still going on with that Bigler and those other men who come here and entice46 thee?”
Mr. Bolton smiled, as men do when they talk with women about “business”. “Such men have their uses, Ruth. They keep the world active, and I owe a great many of my best operations to such men. Who knows, Ruth, but this new land purchase, which I confess I yielded a little too much to Bigler in, may not turn out a fortune for thee and the rest of the children?”
“Ah, father, thee sees every thing in a rose-colored light. I do believe thee wouldn’t have so readily allowed me to begin the study of medicine, if it hadn’t had the novelty of an experiment to thee.”
“And is thee satisfied with it?”
“If thee means, if I have had enough of it, no. I just begin to see what I can do in it, and what a noble profession it is for a woman. Would thee have me sit here like a bird on a bough47 and wait for somebody to come and put me in a cage?”
Mr. Bolton was not sorry to divert the talk from his own affairs, and he did not think it worth while to tell his family of a performance that very day which was entirely48 characteristic of him.
Ruth might well say that she felt as if she were living in a house of cards, although the Bolton household had no idea of the number of perils49 that hovered50 over them, any more than thousands of families in America have of the business risks and contingences upon which their prosperity and luxury hang.
A sudden call upon Mr. Bolton for a large sum of money, which must be forthcoming at once, had found him in the midst of a dozen ventures, from no one of which a dollar could be realized. It was in vain that he applied51 to his business acquaintances and friends; it was a period of sudden panic and no money. “A hundred thousand! Mr. Bolton,” said Plumly. “Good God, if you should ask me for ten, I shouldn’t know where to get it.”
And yet that day Mr. Small (Pennybacker, Bigler and Small) came to Mr. Bolton with a piteous story of ruin in a coal operation, if he could not raise ten thousand dollars. Only ten, and he was sure of a fortune. Without it he was a beggar. Mr. Bolton had already Small’s notes for a large amount in his safe, labeled “doubtful;” he had helped him again and again, and always with the same result. But Mr. Small spoke52 with a faltering53 voice of his family, his daughter in school, his wife ignorant of his calamity54, and drew such a picture of their agony, that Mr. Bolton put by his own more pressing necessity, and devoted55 the day to scraping together, here and there, ten thousand dollars for this brazen56 beggar, who had never kept a promise to him nor paid a debt.
Beautiful credit! The foundation of modern society. Who shall say that this is not the golden age of mutual57 trust, of unlimited58 reliance upon human promises? That is a peculiar59 condition of society which enables a whole nation to instantly recognize point and meaning in the familiar newspaper anecdote60, which puts into the mouth of a distinguished61 speculator in lands and mines this remark:—“I wasn’t worth a cent two years ago, and now I owe two millions of dollars.”
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1
rumors
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| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
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frivolity
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| n.轻松的乐事，兴高采烈；轻浮的举止 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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9
friendliness
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| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
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10
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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11
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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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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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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16
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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cram
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| v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习 | |
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19
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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rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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24
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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extolled
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| v.赞颂，赞扬，赞美( extol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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aptitude
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| n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资 | |
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ledger
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| n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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31
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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33
sanctimonious
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| adj.假装神圣的，假装虔诚的，假装诚实的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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35
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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36
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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37
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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39
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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40
pebbly
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| 多卵石的，有卵石花纹的 | |
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41
mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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42
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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43
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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44
idyllic
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| adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的 | |
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45
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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46
entice
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| v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿 | |
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47
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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48
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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49
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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50
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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51
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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52
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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53
faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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54
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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55
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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56
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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57
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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58
unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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59
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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60
anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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61
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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