The knocking at Mr Pecksniff’s door, though loud enough, bore no resemblance whatever to the noise of an American railway train at full speed. It may be well to begin the present chapter with this frank admission, lest the reader should imagine that the sounds now deafening2 this history’s ears have any connection with the knocker on Mr Pecksniff’s door, or with the great amount of agitation3 pretty equally divided between that worthy4 man and Mr Pinch, of which its strong performance was the cause.
Mr Pecksniff’s house is more than a thousand leagues away; and again this happy chronicle has Liberty and Moral Sensibility for its high companions. Again it breathes the blessed air of Independence; again it contemplates5 with pious6 awe7 that moral sense which renders unto Ceasar nothing that is his; again inhales8 that sacred atmosphere which was the life of him—oh noble patriot9, with many followers10!—who dreamed of Freedom in a slave’s embrace, and waking sold her offspring and his own in public markets.
How the wheels clank and rattle12, and the tram-road shakes, as the train rushes on! And now the engine yells, as it were lashed13 and tortured like a living labourer, and writhed14 in agony. A poor fancy; for steel and iron are of infinitely15 greater account, in this commonwealth16, than flesh and blood. If the cunning work of man be urged beyond its power of endurance, it has within it the elements of its own revenge; whereas the wretched mechanism17 of the Divine Hand is dangerous with no such property, but may be tampered18 with, and crushed, and broken, at the driver’s pleasure. Look at that engine! It shall cost a man more dollars in the way of penalty and fine, and satisfaction of the outraged19 law, to deface in wantonness that senseless mass of metal, than to take the lives of twenty human creatures! Thus the stars wink20 upon the bloody21 stripes; and Liberty pulls down her cap upon her eyes, and owns Oppression in its vilest22 aspect, for her sister.
The engine-driver of the train whose noise awoke us to the present chapter was certainly troubled with no such reflections as these; nor is it very probable that his mind was disturbed by any reflections at all. He leaned with folded arms and crossed legs against the side of the carriage, smoking; and, except when he expressed, by a grunt23 as short as his pipe, his approval of some particularly dexterous24 aim on the part of his colleague, the fireman, who beguiled25 his leisure by throwing logs of wood from the tender at the numerous stray cattle on the line, he preserved a composure so immovable, and an indifference26 so complete, that if the locomotive had been a sucking-pig, he could not have been more perfectly27 indifferent to its doings. Notwithstanding the tranquil28 state of this officer, and his unbroken peace of mind, the train was proceeding29 with tolerable rapidity; and the rails being but poorly laid, the jolts30 and bumps it met with in its progress were neither slight nor few.
There were three great caravans31 or cars attached. The ladies’ car, the gentlemen’s car, and the car for negroes; the latter painted black, as an appropriate compliment to its company. Martin and Mark Tapley were in the first, as it was the most comfortable; and, being far from full, received other gentlemen who, like them, were unblessed by the society of ladies of their own. They were seated side by side, and were engaged in earnest conversation.
‘And so, Mark,’ said Martin, looking at him with an anxious expression, ‘and so you are glad we have left New York far behind us, are you?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said Mark. ‘I am. Precious glad.’
‘Were you not “jolly” there?’ asked Martin.
‘On the contrairy, sir,’ returned Mark. ‘The jolliest week as ever I spent in my life, was that there week at Pawkins’s.’
‘What do you think of our prospects33?’ inquired Martin, with an air that plainly said he had avoided the question for some time.
‘Uncommon34 bright, sir,’ returned Mark. ‘Impossible for a place to have a better name, sir, than the Walley of Eden. No man couldn’t think of settling in a better place than the Walley of Eden. And I’m told,’ added Mark, after a pause, ‘as there’s lots of serpents there, so we shall come out, quite complete and reg’lar.’
So far from dwelling35 upon this agreeable piece of information with the least dismay, Mark’s face grew radiant as he called it to mind; so very radiant, that a stranger might have supposed he had all his life been yearning36 for the society of serpents, and now hailed with delight the approaching consummation of his fondest wishes.
‘Who told you that?’ asked Martin, sternly.
‘A military officer,’ said Mark.
‘Confound you for a ridiculous fellow!’ cried Martin, laughing heartily37 in spite of himself. ‘What military officer? You know they spring up in every field.’
‘As thick as scarecrows in England, sir,’ interposed Mark, ‘which is a sort of milita themselves, being entirely38 coat and wescoat, with a stick inside. Ha, ha!—Don’t mind me, sir; it’s my way sometimes. I can’t help being jolly. Why it was one of them inwading conquerors39 at Pawkins’s, as told me. “Am I rightly informed,” he says—not exactly through his nose, but as if he’d got a stoppage in it, very high up—“that you’re a-going to the Walley of Eden?” “I heard some talk on it,” I told him. “Oh!” says he, “if you should ever happen to go to bed there—you may, you know,” he says, “in course of time as civilisation40 progresses—don’t forget to take a axe41 with you.” I looks at him tolerable hard. “Fleas?” says I. “And more,” says he. “Wampires?” says I. “And more,” says he. “Musquitoes, perhaps?” says I. “And more,” says he. “What more?” says I. “Snakes more,” says he; “rattle-snakes. You’re right to a certain extent, stranger. There air some catawampous chawers in the small way too, as graze upon a human pretty strong; but don’t mind them—they’re company. It’s snakes,” he says, “as you’ll object to; and whenever you wake and see one in a upright poster on your bed,” he says, “like a corkscrew with the handle off a-sittin’ on its bottom ring, cut him down, for he means wenom.”’
‘Why didn’t you tell me this before!’ cried Martin, with an expression of face which set off the cheerfulness of Mark’s visage to great advantage.
‘I never thought on it, sir,’ said Mark. ‘It come in at one ear, and went out at the other. But Lord love us, he was one of another Company, I dare say, and only made up the story that we might go to his Eden, and not the opposition42 one.’
‘There’s some probability in that,’ observed Martin. ‘I can honestly say that I hope so, with all my heart.’
‘I’ve not a doubt about it, sir,’ returned Mark, who, full of the inspiriting influence of the anecodote upon himself, had for the moment forgotten its probable effect upon his master; ‘anyhow, we must live, you know, sir.’
‘Live!’ cried Martin. ‘Yes, it’s easy to say live; but if we should happen not to wake when rattlesnakes are making corkscrews of themselves upon our beds, it may be not so easy to do it.’
‘And that’s a fact,’ said a voice so close in his ear that it tickled43 him. ‘That’s dreadful true.’
Martin looked round, and found that a gentleman, on the seat behind, had thrust his head between himself and Mark, and sat with his chin resting on the back rail of their little bench, entertaining himself with their conversation. He was as languid and listless in his looks as most of the gentlemen they had seen; his cheeks were so hollow that he seemed to be always sucking them in; and the sun had burnt him, not a wholesome44 red or brown, but dirty yellow. He had bright dark eyes, which he kept half closed; only peeping out of the corners, and even then with a glance that seemed to say, ‘Now you won’t overreach me; you want to, but you won’t.’ His arms rested carelessly on his knees as he leant forward; in the palm of his left hand, as English rustics45 have their slice of cheese, he had a cake of tobacco; in his right a penknife. He struck into the dialogue with as little reserve as if he had been specially46 called in, days before, to hear the arguments on both sides, and favour them with his opinion; and he no more contemplated47 or cared for the possibility of their not desiring the honour of his acquaintance or interference in their private affairs than if he had been a bear or a buffalo49.
‘That,’ he repeated, nodding condescendingly to Martin, as to an outer barbarian50 and foreigner, ‘is dreadful true. Darn all manner of vermin.’
Martin could not help frowning for a moment, as if he were disposed to insinuate51 that the gentleman had unconsciously ‘darned’ himself. But remembering the wisdom of doing at Rome as Romans do, he smiled with the pleasantest expression he could assume upon so short a notice.
Their new friend said no more just then, being busily employed in cutting a quid or plug from his cake of tobacco, and whistling softly to himself the while. When he had shaped it to his liking52, he took out his old plug, and deposited the same on the back of the seat between Mark and Martin, while he thrust the new one into the hollow of his cheek, where it looked like a large walnut53, or tolerable pippin. Finding it quite satisfactory, he stuck the point of his knife into the old plug, and holding it out for their inspection54, remarked with the air of a man who had not lived in vain, that it was ‘used up considerable.’ Then he tossed it away; put his knife into one pocket and his tobacco into another; rested his chin upon the rail as before; and approving of the pattern on Martin’s waistcoat, reached out his hand to feel the texture55 of that garment.
‘What do you call this now?’ he asked.
‘Upon my word’ said Martin, ‘I don’t know what it’s called.’
‘It’ll cost a dollar or more a yard, I reckon?’
‘I really don’t know.’
‘In my country,’ said the gentleman, ‘we know the cost of our own pro-duce.’
Martin not discussing the question, there was a pause.
‘Well!’ resumed their new friend, after staring at them intently during the whole interval56 of silence; ‘how’s the unnat’ral old parent by this time?’
Mr Tapley regarding this inquiry57 as only another version of the impertinent English question, ‘How’s your mother?’ would have resented it instantly, but for Martin’s prompt interposition.
‘You mean the old country?’ he said.
‘Ah!’ was the reply. ‘How’s she? Progressing back’ards, I expect, as usual? Well! How’s Queen Victoria?’
‘In good health, I believe,’ said Martin.
‘Queen Victoria won’t shake in her royal shoes at all, when she hears to-morrow named,’ observed the stranger, ‘No.’
‘Not that I am aware of. Why should she?’
‘She won’t be taken with a cold chill, when she realises what is being done in these diggings,’ said the stranger. ‘No.’
‘No,’ said Martin. ‘I think I could take my oath of that.’
The strange gentleman looked at him as if in pity for his ignorance or prejudice, and said:
‘Well, sir, I tell you this—there ain’t a engine with its biler bust58, in God A’mighty’s free U-nited States, so fixed59, and nipped, and frizzled to a most e-tarnal smash, as that young critter, in her luxurious60 location in the Tower of London will be, when she reads the next double-extra Watertoast Gazette.’
Several other gentlemen had left their seats and gathered round during the foregoing dialogue. They were highly delighted with this speech. One very lank11 gentleman, in a loose limp white cravat61, long white waistcoat, and a black great-coat, who seemed to be in authority among them, felt called upon to acknowledge it.
‘Hem! Mr La Fayette Kettle,’ he said, taking off his hat.
‘Mr La Fayette Kettle! Sir!’
Mr Kettle bowed.
‘In the name of this company, sir, and in the name of our common country, and in the name of that righteous cause of holy sympathy in which we are engaged, I thank you. I thank you, sir, in the name of the Watertoast Sympathisers; and I thank you, sir, in the name of the Watertoast Gazette; and I thank you, sir, in the name of the star-spangled banner of the Great United States, for your eloquent63 and categorical exposition. And if, sir,’ said the speaker, poking64 Martin with the handle of his umbrella to bespeak65 his attention, for he was listening to a whisper from Mark; ‘if, sir, in such a place, and at such a time, I might venture to con-clude with a sentiment, glancing—however slantin’dicularly—at the subject in hand, I would say, sir, may the British Lion have his talons66 eradicated67 by the noble bill of the American Eagle, and be taught to play upon the Irish Harp68 and the Scotch69 Fiddle70 that music which is breathed in every empty shell that lies upon the shores of green Co-lumbia!’
Here the lank gentleman sat down again, amidst a great sensation; and every one looked very grave.
‘General Choke,’ said Mr La Fayette Kettle, ‘you warm my heart; sir, you warm my heart. But the British Lion is not unrepresented here, sir; and I should be glad to hear his answer to those remarks.’
‘Upon my word,’ cried Martin, laughing, ‘since you do me the honour to consider me his representative, I have only to say that I never heard of Queen Victoria reading the What’s-his-name Gazette and that I should scarcely think it probable.’
General Choke smiled upon the rest, and said, in patient and benignant explanation:
‘It is sent to her, sir. It is sent to her. Her mail.’
‘But if it is addressed to the Tower of London, it would hardly come to hand, I fear,’ returned Martin; ‘for she don’t live there.’
‘The Queen of England, gentlemen,’ observed Mr Tapley, affecting the greatest politeness, and regarding them with an immovable face, ‘usually lives in the Mint to take care of the money. She has lodgings71, in virtue72 of her office, with the Lord Mayor at the Mansion73 House; but don’t often occupy them, in consequence of the parlour chimney smoking.’
‘Mark,’ said Martin, ‘I shall be very much obliged to you if you’ll have the goodness not to interfere48 with preposterous74 statements, however jocose75 they may appear to you. I was merely remarking gentlemen—though it’s a point of very little import—that the Queen of England does not happen to live in the Tower of London.’
‘General!’ cried Mr La Fayette Kettle. ‘You hear?’
‘General!’ echoed several others. ‘General!’
‘Hush! Pray, silence!’ said General Choke, holding up his hand, and speaking with a patient and complacent76 benevolence77 that was quite touching78. ‘I have always remarked it as a very extraordinary circumstance, which I impute79 to the natur’ of British Institutions and their tendency to suppress that popular inquiry and information which air so widely diffused80 even in the trackless forests of this vast Continent of the Western Ocean; that the knowledge of Britishers themselves on such points is not to be compared with that possessed81 by our intelligent and locomotive citizens. This is interesting, and confirms my observation. When you say, sir,’ he continued, addressing Martin, ‘that your Queen does not reside in the Tower of London, you fall into an error, not uncommon to your countrymen, even when their abilities and moral elements air such as to command respect. But, sir, you air wrong. She does live there—’
‘When she is at the Court of Saint James’s,’ interposed Kettle.
‘When she is at the Court of Saint James’s, of course,’ returned the General, in the same benignant way; ‘for if her location was in Windsor Pavilion it couldn’t be in London at the same time. Your Tower of London, sir,’ pursued the General, smiling with a mild consciousness of his knowledge, ‘is nat’rally your royal residence. Being located in the immediate82 neighbourhood of your Parks, your Drives, your Triumphant83 Arches, your Opera, and your Royal Almacks, it nat’rally suggests itself as the place for holding a luxurious and thoughtless court. And, consequently,’ said the General, ‘consequently, the court is held there.’
‘Have you been in England?’ asked Martin.
‘In print I have, sir,’ said the General, ‘not otherwise. We air a reading people here, sir. You will meet with much information among us that will surprise you, sir.’
‘I have not the least doubt of it,’ returned Martin. But here he was interrupted by Mr La Fayette Kettle, who whispered in his ear:
‘You know General Choke?’
‘No,’ returned Martin, in the same tone.
‘You know what he is considered?’
‘One of the most remarkable84 men in the country?’ said Martin, at a venture.
‘That’s a fact,’ rejoined Kettle. ‘I was sure you must have heard of him!’
‘I think,’ said Martin, addressing himself to the General again, ‘that I have the pleasure of being the bearer of a letter of introduction to you, sir. From Mr Bevan, of Massachusetts,’ he added, giving it to him.
The General took it and read it attentively86; now and then stopping to glance at the two strangers. When he had finished the note, he came over to Martin, sat down by him, and shook hands.
‘Well!’ he said, ‘and you think of settling in Eden?’
‘Subject to your opinion, and the agent’s advice,’ replied Martin. ‘I am told there is nothing to be done in the old towns.’
‘I can introduce you to the agent, sir,’ said the General. ‘I know him. In fact, I am a member of the Eden Land Corporation myself.’
This was serious news to Martin, for his friend had laid great stress upon the General’s having no connection, as he thought, with any land company, and therefore being likely to give him disinterested87 advice. The General explained that he had joined the Corporation only a few weeks ago, and that no communication had passed between himself and Mr Bevan since.
‘We have very little to venture,’ said Martin anxiously—‘only a few pounds—but it is our all. Now, do you think that for one of my profession, this would be a speculation88 with any hope or chance in it?’
‘Well,’ observed the General, gravely, ‘if there wasn’t any hope or chance in the speculation, it wouldn’t have engaged my dollars, I opinionate.’
‘I don’t mean for the sellers,’ said Martin. ‘For the buyers—for the buyers!’
‘For the buyers, sir?’ observed the General, in a most impressive manner. ‘Well! you come from an old country; from a country, sir, that has piled up golden calves89 as high as Babel, and worshipped ‘em for ages. We are a new country, sir; man is in a more primeval state here, sir; we have not the excuse of having lapsed90 in the slow course of time into degenerate91 practices; we have no false gods; man, sir, here, is man in all his dignity. We fought for that or nothing. Here am I, sir,’ said the General, setting up his umbrella to represent himself, and a villanous-looking umbrella it was; a very bad counter to stand for the sterling92 coin of his benevolence, ‘here am I with grey hairs sir, and a moral sense. Would I, with my principles, invest capital in this speculation if I didn’t think it full of hopes and chances for my brother man?’
Martin tried to look convinced, but he thought of New York, and found it difficult.
‘What are the Great United States for, sir,’ pursued the General ‘if not for the regeneration of man? But it is nat’ral in you to make such an enquerry, for you come from England, and you do not know my country.’
‘Then you think,’ said Martin, ‘that allowing for the hardships we are prepared to undergo, there is a reasonable—Heaven knows we don’t expect much—a reasonable opening in this place?’
‘A reasonable opening in Eden, sir! But see the agent, see the agent; see the maps and plans, sir; and conclude to go or stay, according to the natur’ of the settlement. Eden hadn’t need to go a-begging yet, sir,’ remarked the General.
‘It is an awful lovely place, sure-ly. And frightful93 wholesome, likewise!’ said Mr Kettle, who had made himself a party to this conversation as a matter of course.
Martin felt that to dispute such testimony94, for no better reason than because he had his secret misgivings95 on the subject, would be ungentlemanly and indecent. So he thanked the General for his promise to put him in personal communication with the agent; and ‘concluded’ to see that officer next morning. He then begged the General to inform him who the Watertoast Sympathisers were, of whom he had spoken in addressing Mr La Fayette Kettle, and on what grievances97 they bestowed98 their Sympathy. To which the General, looking very serious, made answer, that he might fully99 enlighten himself on those points to-morrow by attending a Great Meeting of the Body, which would then be held at the town to which they were travelling; ‘over which, sir,’ said the General, ‘my fellow-citizens have called on me to preside.’
They came to their journey’s end late in the evening. Close to the railway was an immense white edifice100, like an ugly hospital, on which was painted ‘National Hotel.’ There was a wooden gallery or verandah in front, in which it was rather startling, when the train stopped, to behold101 a great many pairs of boots and shoes, and the smoke of a great many cigars, but no other evidences of human habitation. By slow degrees, however, some heads and shoulders appeared, and connecting themselves with the boots and shoes, led to the discovery that certain gentlemen boarders, who had a fancy for putting their heels where the gentlemen boarders in other countries usually put their heads, were enjoying themselves after their own manner in the cool of the evening.
There was a great bar-room in this hotel, and a great public room in which the general table was being set out for supper. There were interminable whitewashed102 staircases, long whitewashed galleries upstairs and downstairs, scores of little whitewashed bedrooms, and a four-sided verandah to every story in the house, which formed a large brick square with an uncomfortable courtyard in the centre, where some clothes were drying. Here and there, some yawning gentlemen lounged up and down with their hands in their pockets; but within the house and without, wherever half a dozen people were collected together, there, in their looks, dress, morals, manners, habits, intellect, and conversation, were Mr Jefferson Brick, Colonel Diver, Major Pawkins, General Choke, and Mr La Fayette Kettle, over, and over, and over again. They did the same things; said the same things; judged all subjects by, and reduced all subjects to, the same standard. Observing how they lived, and how they were always in the enchanting103 company of each other, Martin even began to comprehend their being the social, cheerful, winning, airy men they were.
At the sounding of a dismal104 gong, this pleasant company went trooping down from all parts of the house to the public room; while from the neighbouring stores other guests came flocking in, in shoals; for half the town, married folks as well as single, resided at the National Hotel. Tea, coffee, dried meats, tongue, ham, pickles105, cake, toast, preserves, and bread and butter, were swallowed with the usual ravaging106 speed; and then, as before, the company dropped off by degrees, and lounged away to the desk, the counter, or the bar-room. The ladies had a smaller ordinary of their own, to which their husbands and brothers were admitted if they chose; and in all other respects they enjoyed themselves as at Pawkins’s.
‘Now, Mark, my good fellow, said Martin, closing the door of his little chamber107, ‘we must hold a solemn council, for our fate is decided108 to-morrow morning. You are determined109 to invest these savings110 of yours in the common stock, are you?’
‘If I hadn’t been determined to make that wentur, sir,’ answered Mr Tapley, ‘I shouldn’t have come.’
‘How much is there here, did you say’ asked Martin, holding up a little bag.
‘Thirty-seven pound ten and sixpence. The Savings’ Bank said so at least. I never counted it. But they know, bless you!’ said Mark, with a shake of the head expressive111 of his unbounded confidence in the wisdom and arithmetic of those Institutions.
‘The money we brought with us,’ said Martin, ‘is reduced to a few shillings less than eight pounds.’
Mr Tapley smiled, and looked all manner of ways, that he might not be supposed to attach any importance to this fact.
‘Upon the ring—her ring, Mark,’ said Martin, looking ruefully at his empty finger—
‘Ah!’ sighed Mr Tapley. ‘Beg your pardon, sir.’
‘—We raised, in English money, fourteen pounds. So, even with that, your share of the stock is still very much the larger of the two you see. Now, Mark,’ said Martin, in his old way, just as he might have spoken to Tom Pinch, ‘I have thought of a means of making this up to you—more than making it up to you, I hope—and very materially elevating your prospects in life.’
‘Oh! don’t talk of that, you know, sir,’ returned Mark. ‘I don’t want no elevating, sir. I’m all right enough, sir, I am.’
‘No, but hear me,’ said Martin, ‘because this is very important to you, and a great satisfaction to me. Mark, you shall be a partner in the business; an equal partner with myself. I will put in, as my additional capital, my professional knowledge and ability; and half the annual profits, as long as it is carried on, shall be yours.’
Poor Martin! For ever building castles in the air. For ever, in his very selfishness, forgetful of all but his own teeming112 hopes and sanguine113 plans. Swelling114, at that instant, with the consciousness of patronizing and most munificently115 rewarding Mark!
‘I don’t know, sir,’ Mark rejoined, much more sadly than his custom was, though from a very different cause than Martin supposed, ‘what I can say to this, in the way of thanking you. I’ll stand by you, sir, to the best of my ability, and to the last. That’s all.’
‘We quite understand each other, my good fellow,’ said Martin rising in self-approval and condescension116. ‘We are no longer master and servant, but friends and partners; and are mutually gratified. If we determine on Eden, the business shall be commenced as soon as we get there. Under the name,’ said Martin, who never hammered upon an idea that wasn’t red hot, ‘under the name of Chuzzlewit and Tapley.’
‘Lord love you, sir,’ cried Mark, ‘don’t have my name in it. I ain’t acquainted with the business, sir. I must be Co., I must. I’ve often thought,’ he added, in a low voice, ‘as I should like to know a Co.; but I little thought as ever I should live to be one.’
‘You shall have your own way, Mark.’
‘Thank’ee, sir. If any country gentleman thereabouts, in the public way, or otherwise, wanted such a thing as a skittle-ground made, I could take that part of the bis’ness, sir.’
‘Against any architect in the States,’ said Martin. ‘Get a couple of sherry-cobblers, Mark, and we’ll drink success to the firm.’
Either he forgot already (and often afterwards), that they were no longer master and servant, or considered this kind of duty to be among the legitimate117 functions of the Co. But Mark obeyed with his usual alacrity118; and before they parted for the night, it was agreed between them that they should go together to the agent’s in the morning, but that Martin should decide the Eden question, on his own sound judgment119. And Mark made no merit, even to himself in his jollity, of this concession120; perfectly well knowing that the matter would come to that in the end, any way.
The General was one of the party at the public table next day, and after breakfast suggested that they should wait upon the agent without loss of time. They, desiring nothing more, agreed; so off they all four started for the office of the Eden Settlement, which was almost within rifle-shot of the National Hotel.
It was a small place—something like a turnpike. But a great deal of land may be got into a dice-box, and why may not a whole territory be bargained for in a shed? It was but a temporary office too; for the Edeners were ‘going’ to build a superb establishment for the transaction of their business, and had already got so far as to mark out the site. Which is a great way in America. The office-door was wide open, and in the doorway121 was the agent; no doubt a tremendous fellow to get through his work, for he seemed to have no arrears122, but was swinging backwards123 and forwards in a rocking-chair, with one of his legs planted high up against the door-post, and the other doubled up under him, as if he were hatching his foot.
He was a gaunt man in a huge straw hat, and a coat of green stuff. The weather being hot, he had no cravat, and wore his shirt collar wide open; so that every time he spoke96 something was seen to twitch124 and jerk up in his throat, like the little hammers in a harpsichord125 when the notes are struck. Perhaps it was the Truth feebly endeavouring to leap to his lips. If so, it never reached them.
Two grey eyes lurked126 deep within this agent’s head, but one of them had no sight in it, and stood stock still. With that side of his face he seemed to listen to what the other side was doing. Thus each profile had a distinct expression; and when the movable side was most in action, the rigid127 one was in its coldest state of watchfulness128. It was like turning the man inside out, to pass to that view of his features in his liveliest mood, and see how calculating and intent they were.
Each long black hair upon his head hung down as straight as any plummet129 line; but rumpled130 tufts were on the arches of his eyes, as if the crow whose foot was deeply printed in the corners had pecked and torn them in a savage131 recognition of his kindred nature as a bird of prey132.
‘Well, Gen’ral,’ he returned, ‘and how are you?’
‘Ac-tive and spry, sir, in my country’s service and the sympathetic cause. Two gentlemen on business, Mr Scadder.’
He shook hands with each of them—nothing is done in America without shaking hands—then went on rocking.
‘I think I know what bis’ness you have brought these strangers here upon, then, Gen’ral?’
‘Well, sir. I expect you may.’
‘You air a tongue-y person, Gen’ral. For you talk too much, and that’s fact,’ said Scadder. ‘You speak a-larming well in public, but you didn’t ought to go ahead so fast in private. Now!’
‘If I can realise your meaning, ride me on a rail!’ returned the General, after pausing for consideration.
‘You know we didn’t wish to sell the lots off right away to any loafer as might bid,’ said Scadder; ‘but had con-cluded to reserve ‘em for Aristocrats134 of Natur’. Yes!’
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‘And they are here, sir!’ cried the General with warmth. ‘They are here, sir!’
‘If they air here,’ returned the agent, in reproachful accents, ‘that’s enough. But you didn’t ought to have your dander ris with me, Gen’ral.’
The General whispered Martin that Scadder was the honestest fellow in the world, and that he wouldn’t have given him offence designedly, for ten thousand dollars.
‘I do my duty; and I raise the dander of my feller critters, as I wish to serve,’ said Scadder in a low voice, looking down the road and rocking still. ‘They rile up rough, along of my objecting to their selling Eden off too cheap. That’s human natur’! Well!’
‘Mr Scadder,’ said the General, assuming his oratorical135 deportment. ‘Sir! Here is my hand, and here my heart. I esteem136 you, sir, and ask your pardon. These gentlemen air friends of mine, or I would not have brought ‘em here, sir, being well aware, sir, that the lots at present go entirely too cheap. But these air friends, sir; these air partick’ler friends.’
Mr Scadder was so satisfied by this explanation, that he shook the General warmly by the hand, and got out of the rocking-chair to do it. He then invited the General’s particular friends to accompany him into the office. As to the General, he observed, with his usual benevolence, that being one of the company, he wouldn’t interfere in the transaction on any account; so he appropriated the rocking-chair to himself, and looked at the prospect32, like a good Samaritan waiting for a traveller.
‘Heyday!’ cried Martin, as his eye rested on a great plan which occupied one whole side of the office. Indeed, the office had little else in it, but some geological and botanical specimens137, one or two rusty138 ledgers139, a homely140 desk, and a stool. ‘Heyday! what’s that?’
‘That’s Eden,’ said Scadder, picking his teeth with a sort of young bayonet that flew out of his knife when he touched a spring.
‘Why, I had no idea it was a city.’
‘Hadn’t you? Oh, it’s a city.’
A flourishing city, too! An architectural city! There were banks, churches, cathedrals, market-places, factories, hotels, stores, mansions141, wharves142; an exchange, a theatre; public buildings of all kinds, down to the office of the Eden Stinger, a daily journal; all faithfully depicted143 in the view before them.
‘Dear me! It’s really a most important place!’ cried Martin turning round.
‘Oh! it’s very important,’ observed the agent.
‘But, I am afraid,’ said Martin, glancing again at the Public Buildings, ‘that there’s nothing left for me to do.’
‘Well! it ain’t all built,’ replied the agent. ‘Not quite.’
This was a great relief.
‘The market-place, now,’ said Martin. ‘Is that built?’
‘That?’ said the agent, sticking his toothpick into the weathercock on the top. ‘Let me see. No; that ain’t built.’
‘Rather a good job to begin with—eh, Mark?’ whispered Martin nudging him with his elbow.
Mark, who, with a very stolid144 countenance145 had been eyeing the plan and the agent by turns, merely rejoined ‘Uncommon!’
A dead silence ensued, Mr Scadder in some short recesses146 or vacations of his toothpick, whistled a few bars of Yankee Doodle, and blew the dust off the roof of the Theatre.
‘I suppose,’ said Martin, feigning147 to look more narrowly at the plan, but showing by his tremulous voice how much depended, in his mind, upon the answer; ‘I suppose there are—several architects there?’
‘There ain’t a single one,’ said Scadder.
‘Mark,’ whispered Martin, pulling him by the sleeve, ‘do you hear that? But whose work is all this before us, then?’ he asked aloud.
‘The soil being very fruitful, public buildings grows spontaneous, perhaps,’ said Mark.
He was on the agent’s dark side as he said it; but Scadder instantly changed his place, and brought his active eye to bear upon him.
‘Feel of my hands, young man,’ he said.
‘What for?’ asked Mark, declining.
‘Air they dirty, or air they clean, sir?’ said Scadder, holding them out.
In a physical point of view they were decidedly dirty. But it being obvious that Mr Scadder offered them for examination in a figurative sense, as emblems148 of his moral character, Martin hastened to pronounce them pure as the driven snow.
‘I entreat149, Mark,’ he said, with some irritation150, ‘that you will not obtrude151 remarks of that nature, which, however harmless and well-intentioned, are quite out of place, and cannot be expected to be very agreeable to strangers. I am quite surprised.’
‘The Co.‘s a-putting his foot in it already,’ thought Mark. ‘He must be a sleeping partner—fast asleep and snoring—Co. must; I see.’
Mr Scadder said nothing, but he set his back against the plan, and thrust his toothpick into the desk some twenty times; looking at Mark all the while as if he were stabbing him in effigy152.
‘You haven’t said whose work it is,’ Martin ventured to observe at length, in a tone of mild propitiation.
‘Well, never mind whose work it is, or isn’t,’ said the agent sulkily. ‘No matter how it did eventuate. P’raps he cleared off, handsome, with a heap of dollars; p’raps he wasn’t worth a cent. P’raps he was a loafin’ rowdy; p’raps a ring-tailed roarer. Now!’
‘All your doing, Mark!’ said Martin.
‘P’raps,’ pursued the agent, ‘them ain’t plants of Eden’s raising. No! P’raps that desk and stool ain’t made from Eden lumber153. No! P’raps no end of squatters ain’t gone out there. No! P’raps there ain’t no such location in the territoary of the Great U-nited States. Oh, no!’
‘I hope you’re satisfied with the success of your joke, Mark,’ said Martin.
But here, at a most opportune154 and happy time, the General interposed, and called out to Scadder from the doorway to give his friends the particulars of that little lot of fifty acres with the house upon it; which, having belonged to the company formerly155, had lately lapsed again into their hands.
‘You air a deal too open-handed, Gen’ral,’ was the answer. ‘It is a lot as should be rose in price. It is.’
He grumblingly156 opened his books notwithstanding, and always keeping his bright side towards Mark, no matter at what amount of inconvenience to himself, displayed a certain leaf for their perusal157. Martin read it greedily, and then inquired:
‘Now where upon the plan may this place be?’
‘Upon the plan?’ said Scadder.
‘Yes.’
He turned towards it, and reflected for a short time, as if, having been put upon his mettle158, he was resolved to be particular to the very minutest hair’s breadth of a shade. At length, after wheeling his toothpick slowly round and round in the air, as if it were a carrier pigeon just thrown up, he suddenly made a dart159 at the drawing, and pierced the very centre of the main wharf160, through and through.
‘There!’ he said, leaving his knife quivering in the wall; ‘that’s where it is!’
Martin glanced with sparkling eyes upon his Co., and his Co. saw that the thing was done.
The bargain was not concluded as easily as might have been expected though, for Scadder was caustic161 and ill-humoured, and cast much unnecessary opposition in the way; at one time requesting them to think of it, and call again in a week or a fortnight; at another, predicting that they wouldn’t like it; at another, offering to retract162 and let them off, and muttering strong imprecations upon the folly163 of the General. But the whole of the astoundingly small sum total of purchase-money—it was only one hundred and fifty dollars, or something more than thirty pounds of the capital brought by Co. into the architectural concern—was ultimately paid down; and Martin’s head was two inches nearer the roof of the little wooden office, with the consciousness of being a landed proprietor164 in the thriving city of Eden.
‘If it shouldn’t happen to fit,’ said Scadder, as he gave Martin the necessary credentials165 on recepit of his money, ‘don’t blame me.’
‘No, no,’ he replied merrily. ‘We’ll not blame you. General, are you going?’
‘I am at your service, sir; and I wish you,’ said the General, giving him his hand with grave cordiality, ‘joy of your po-ssession. You air now, sir, a denizen166 of the most powerful and highly-civilised dominion167 that has ever graced the world; a do-minion, sir, where man is bound to man in one vast bond of equal love and truth. May you, sir, be worthy of your a-dopted country!’
Martin thanked him, and took leave of Mr Scadder; who had resumed his post in the rocking-chair, immediately on the General’s rising from it, and was once more swinging away as if he had never been disturbed. Mark looked back several times as they went down the road towards the National Hotel, but now his blighted168 profile was towards them, and nothing but attentive85 thoughtfulness was written on it. Strangely different to the other side! He was not a man much given to laughing, and never laughed outright169; but every line in the print of the crow’s foot, and every little wiry vein170 in that division of his head, was wrinkled up into a grin! The compound figure of Death and the Lady at the top of the old ballad171 was not divided with a greater nicety, and hadn’t halves more monstrously172 unlike each other, than the two profiles of Zephaniah Scadder.
The General posted along at a great rate, for the clock was on the stroke of twelve; and at that hour precisely173, the Great Meeting of the Watertoast Sympathisers was to be holden in the public room of the National Hotel. Being very curious to witness the demonstration174, and know what it was all about, Martin kept close to the General; and, keeping closer than ever when they entered the Hall, got by that means upon a little platform of tables at the upper end; where an armchair was set for the General, and Mr La Fayette Kettle, as secretary, was making a great display of some foolscap documents. Screamers, no doubt.
‘Well, sir!’ he said, as he shook hands with Martin, ‘here is a spectacle calc’lated to make the British Lion put his tail between his legs, and howl with anguish175, I expect!’
Martin certainly thought it possible that the British Lion might have been rather out of his element in that Ark; but he kept the idea to himself. The General was then voted to the chair, on the motion of a pallid176 lad of the Jefferson Brick school; who forthwith set in for a high-spiced speech, with a good deal about hearths178 and homes in it, and unriveting the chains of Tyranny.
Oh but it was a clincher for the British Lion, it was! The indignation of the glowing young Columbian knew no bounds. If he could only have been one of his own forefathers179, he said, wouldn’t he have peppered that same Lion, and been to him as another Brute180 Tamer with a wire whip, teaching him lessons not easily forgotten. ‘Lion! (cried that young Columbian) where is he? Who is he? What is he? Show him to me. Let me have him here. Here!’ said the young Columbian, in a wrestling attitude, ‘upon this sacred altar. Here!’ cried the young Columbian, idealising the dining-table, ‘upon ancestral ashes, cemented with the glorious blood poured out like water on our native plains of Chickabiddy Lick! Bring forth177 that Lion!’ said the young Columbian. ‘Alone, I dare him! I taunt181 that Lion. I tell that Lion, that Freedom’s hand once twisted in his mane, he rolls a corse before me, and the Eagles of the Great Republic laugh ha, ha!’
When it was found that the Lion didn’t come, but kept out of the way; that the young Columbian stood there, with folded arms, alone in his glory; and consequently that the Eagles were no doubt laughing wildly on the mountain tops; such cheers arose as might have shaken the hands upon the Horse-Guards’ clock, and changed the very mean time of the day in England’s capital.
‘Who is this?’ Martin telegraphed to La Fayette.
The Secretary wrote something, very gravely, on a piece of paper, twisted it up, and had it passed to him from hand to hand. It was an improvement on the old sentiment: ‘Perhaps as remarkable a man as any in our country.’
This young Columbian was succeeded by another, to the full as eloquent as he, who drew down storms of cheers. But both remarkable youths, in their great excitement (for your true poetry can never stoop to details), forgot to say with whom or what the Watertoasters sympathized, and likewise why or wherefore they were sympathetic. Thus Martin remained for a long time as completely in the dark as ever; until at length a ray of light broke in upon him through the medium of the Secretary, who, by reading the minutes of their past proceedings182, made the matter somewhat clearer. He then learned that the Watertoast Association sympathized with a certain Public Man in Ireland, who held a contest upon certain points with England; and that they did so, because they didn’t love England at all—not by any means because they loved Ireland much; being indeed horribly jealous and distrustful of its people always, and only tolerating them because of their working hard, which made them very useful; labour being held in greater indignity183 in the simple republic than in any other country upon earth. This rendered Martin curious to see what grounds of sympathy the Watertoast Association put forth; nor was he long in suspense184, for the General rose to read a letter to the Public Man, which with his own hands he had written.
‘Thus,’ said the General, ‘thus, my friends and fellow-citizens, it runs:
‘“Sir—I address you on behalf of the Watertoast Association of United Sympathisers. It is founded, sir, in the great republic of America! and now holds its breath, and swells185 the blue veins186 in its forehead nigh to bursting, as it watches, sir, with feverish187 intensity188 and sympathetic ardour, your noble efforts in the cause of Freedom.”’
At the name of Freedom, and at every repetition of that name, all the Sympathisers roared aloud; cheering with nine times nine, and nine times over.
‘“In Freedom’s name, sir—holy Freedom—I address you. In Freedom’s name, I send herewith a contribution to the funds of your society. In Freedom’s name, sir, I advert189 with indignation and disgust to that accursed animal, with gore-stained whiskers, whose rampant190 cruelty and fiery191 lust192 have ever been a scourge193, a torment194 to the world. The naked visitors to Crusoe’s Island, sir; the flying wives of Peter Wilkins; the fruit-smeared children of the tangled195 bush; nay196, even the men of large stature197, anciently bred in the mining districts of Cornwall; alike bear witness to its savage nature. Where, sir, are the Cormorans, the Blunderbores, the Great Feefofums, named in History? All, all, exterminated198 by its destroying hand.
‘“Devoted200, mind and body, heart and soul, to Freedom, sir—to Freedom, blessed solace201 to the snail202 upon the cellar-door, the oyster203 in his pearly bed, the still mite204 in his home of cheese, the very winkle of your country in his shelly lair—in her unsullied name, we offer you our sympathy. Oh, sir, in this our cherished and our happy land, her fires burn bright and clear and smokeless; once lighted up in yours, the lion shall be roasted whole.
‘“I am, sir, in Freedom’s name,
‘“Your affectionate friend and faithful Sympathiser,
‘“CYRUS CHOKE,
‘“General, U.S.M.”’
It happened that just as the General began to read this letter, the railroad train arrived, bringing a new mail from England; and a packet had been handed in to the Secretary, which during its perusal and the frequent cheerings in homage205 to freedom, he had opened. Now, its contents disturbed him very much, and the moment the General sat down, he hurried to his side, and placed in his hand a letter and several printed extracts from English newspapers; to which, in a state of infinite excitement, he called his immediate attention.
The General, being greatly heated by his own composition, was in a fit state to receive any inflammable influence; but he had no sooner possessed himself of the contents of these documents, than a change came over his face, involving such a huge amount of choler and passion, that the noisy concourse were silent in a moment, in very wonder at the sight of him.
‘My friends!’ cried the General, rising; ‘my friends and fellow citizens, we have been mistaken in this man.’
‘In what man?’ was the cry.
‘In this,’ panted the General, holding up the letter he had read aloud a few minutes before. ‘I find that he has been, and is, the advocate—consistent in it always too—of Nigger emancipation206!’
If anything beneath the sky be real, those Sons of Freedom would have pistolled, stabbed—in some way slain—that man by coward hands and murderous violence, if he had stood among them at that time. The most confiding207 of their own countrymen would not have wagered208 then—no, nor would they ever peril—one dunghill straw, upon the life of any man in such a strait. They tore the letter, cast the fragments in the air, trod down the pieces as they fell; and yelled, and groaned209, and hissed210, till they could cry no longer.
‘I shall move,’ said the General, when he could make himself heard, ‘that the Watertoast Association of United Sympathisers be immediately dissolved!’
Down with it! Away with it! Don’t hear of it! Burn its records! Pull the room down! Blot211 it out of human memory!
‘But, my fellow-countrymen!’ said the General, ‘the contributions. We have funds. What is to be done with the funds?’
It was hastily resolved that a piece of plate should be presented to a certain constitutional Judge, who had laid down from the Bench the noble principle that it was lawful212 for any white mob to murder any black man; and that another piece of plate, of similar value should be presented to a certain Patriot, who had declared from his high place in the Legislature, that he and his friends would hang without trial, any Abolitionist who might pay them a visit. For the surplus, it was agreed that it should be devoted to aiding the enforcement of those free and equal laws, which render it incalculably more criminal and dangerous to teach a negro to read and write than to roast him alive in a public city. These points adjusted, the meeting broke up in great disorder213, and there was an end of the Watertoast Sympathy.
As Martin ascended214 to his bedroom, his eye was attracted by the Republican banner, which had been hoisted215 from the house-top in honour of the occasion, and was fluttering before a window which he passed.
‘Tut!’ said Martin. ‘You’re a gay flag in the distance. But let a man be near enough to get the light upon the other side and see through you; and you are but sorry fustian216!’
点击收听单词发音
1 professed | |
公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的 | |
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2 deafening | |
adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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3 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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4 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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5 contemplates | |
深思,细想,仔细考虑( contemplate的第三人称单数 ); 注视,凝视; 考虑接受(发生某事的可能性); 深思熟虑,沉思,苦思冥想 | |
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6 pious | |
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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7 awe | |
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
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8 inhales | |
v.吸入( inhale的第三人称单数 ) | |
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9 patriot | |
n.爱国者,爱国主义者 | |
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10 followers | |
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件 | |
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11 lank | |
adj.瘦削的;稀疏的 | |
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12 rattle | |
v.飞奔,碰响;激怒;n.碰撞声;拨浪鼓 | |
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13 lashed | |
adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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14 writhed | |
(因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15 infinitely | |
adv.无限地,无穷地 | |
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16 commonwealth | |
n.共和国,联邦,共同体 | |
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17 mechanism | |
n.机械装置;机构,结构 | |
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18 tampered | |
v.窜改( tamper的过去式 );篡改;(用不正当手段)影响;瞎摆弄 | |
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19 outraged | |
a.震惊的,义愤填膺的 | |
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20 wink | |
n.眨眼,使眼色,瞬间;v.眨眼,使眼色,闪烁 | |
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21 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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22 vilest | |
adj.卑鄙的( vile的最高级 );可耻的;极坏的;非常讨厌的 | |
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23 grunt | |
v.嘟哝;作呼噜声;n.呼噜声,嘟哝 | |
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24 dexterous | |
adj.灵敏的;灵巧的 | |
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25 beguiled | |
v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 );使陶醉;使高兴;消磨(时间等) | |
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26 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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27 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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28 tranquil | |
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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29 proceeding | |
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 | |
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30 jolts | |
(使)摇动, (使)震惊( jolt的名词复数 ) | |
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31 caravans | |
(可供居住的)拖车(通常由机动车拖行)( caravan的名词复数 ); 篷车; (穿过沙漠地带的)旅行队(如商队) | |
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32 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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33 prospects | |
n.希望,前途(恒为复数) | |
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34 uncommon | |
adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的 | |
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35 dwelling | |
n.住宅,住所,寓所 | |
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36 yearning | |
a.渴望的;向往的;怀念的 | |
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37 heartily | |
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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38 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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39 conquerors | |
征服者,占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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40 civilisation | |
n.文明,文化,开化,教化 | |
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41 axe | |
n.斧子;v.用斧头砍,削减 | |
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42 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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43 tickled | |
(使)发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)愉快,逗乐 | |
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44 wholesome | |
adj.适合;卫生的;有益健康的;显示身心健康的 | |
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45 rustics | |
n.有农村或村民特色的( rustic的名词复数 );粗野的;不雅的;用粗糙的木材或树枝制作的 | |
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46 specially | |
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地 | |
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47 contemplated | |
adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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48 interfere | |
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰 | |
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49 buffalo | |
n.(北美)野牛;(亚洲)水牛 | |
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50 barbarian | |
n.野蛮人;adj.野蛮(人)的;未开化的 | |
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51 insinuate | |
vt.含沙射影地说,暗示 | |
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52 liking | |
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢 | |
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53 walnut | |
n.胡桃,胡桃木,胡桃色,茶色 | |
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54 inspection | |
n.检查,审查,检阅 | |
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55 texture | |
n.(织物)质地;(材料)构造;结构;肌理 | |
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56 interval | |
n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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57 inquiry | |
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 | |
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58 bust | |
vt.打破;vi.爆裂;n.半身像;胸部 | |
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59 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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60 luxurious | |
adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的 | |
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61 cravat | |
n.领巾,领结;v.使穿有领结的服装,使结领结 | |
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62 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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63 eloquent | |
adj.雄辩的,口才流利的;明白显示出的 | |
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64 poking | |
n. 刺,戳,袋 vt. 拨开,刺,戳 vi. 戳,刺,捅,搜索,伸出,行动散慢 | |
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65 bespeak | |
v.预定;预先请求 | |
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66 talons | |
n.(尤指猛禽的)爪( talon的名词复数 );(如爪般的)手指;爪状物;锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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67 eradicated | |
画着根的 | |
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68 harp | |
n.竖琴;天琴座 | |
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69 scotch | |
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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70 fiddle | |
n.小提琴;vi.拉提琴;不停拨弄,乱动 | |
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71 lodgings | |
n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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72 virtue | |
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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73 mansion | |
n.大厦,大楼;宅第 | |
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74 preposterous | |
adj.荒谬的,可笑的 | |
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75 jocose | |
adj.开玩笑的,滑稽的 | |
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76 complacent | |
adj.自满的;自鸣得意的 | |
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77 benevolence | |
n.慈悲,捐助 | |
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78 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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79 impute | |
v.归咎于 | |
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80 diffused | |
散布的,普及的,扩散的 | |
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81 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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82 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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83 triumphant | |
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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84 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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85 attentive | |
adj.注意的,专心的;关心(别人)的,殷勤的 | |
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86 attentively | |
adv.聚精会神地;周到地;谛;凝神 | |
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87 disinterested | |
adj.不关心的,不感兴趣的 | |
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88 speculation | |
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机 | |
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89 calves | |
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 | |
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90 lapsed | |
adj.流失的,堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 );陷入;倒退;丧失 | |
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91 degenerate | |
v.退步,堕落;adj.退步的,堕落的;n.堕落者 | |
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92 sterling | |
adj.英币的(纯粹的,货真价实的);n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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93 frightful | |
adj.可怕的;讨厌的 | |
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94 testimony | |
n.证词;见证,证明 | |
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95 misgivings | |
n.疑虑,担忧,害怕;疑虑,担心,恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 );疑惧 | |
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96 spoke | |
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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97 grievances | |
n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 );苦衷;不满;牢骚 | |
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98 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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99 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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100 edifice | |
n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿,教室) | |
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101 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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102 whitewashed | |
粉饰,美化,掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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103 enchanting | |
a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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104 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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105 pickles | |
n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 );处于困境;遇到麻烦;菜酱 | |
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106 ravaging | |
毁坏( ravage的现在分词 ); 蹂躏; 劫掠; 抢劫 | |
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107 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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108 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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109 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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110 savings | |
n.存款,储蓄 | |
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111 expressive | |
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的 | |
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112 teeming | |
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 );到处都是;(指水、雨等)暴降;倾注 | |
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113 sanguine | |
adj.充满希望的,乐观的,血红色的 | |
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114 swelling | |
n.肿胀 | |
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115 munificently | |
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116 condescension | |
n.自以为高人一等,贬低(别人) | |
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117 legitimate | |
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法 | |
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118 alacrity | |
n.敏捷,轻快,乐意 | |
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119 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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120 concession | |
n.让步,妥协;特许(权) | |
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121 doorway | |
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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122 arrears | |
n.到期未付之债,拖欠的款项;待做的工作 | |
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123 backwards | |
adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地 | |
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124 twitch | |
v.急拉,抽动,痉挛,抽搐;n.扯,阵痛,痉挛 | |
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125 harpsichord | |
n.键琴(钢琴前身) | |
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126 lurked | |
vi.潜伏,埋伏(lurk的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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127 rigid | |
adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的 | |
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128 watchfulness | |
警惕,留心; 警觉(性) | |
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129 plummet | |
vi.(价格、水平等)骤然下跌;n.铅坠;重压物 | |
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130 rumpled | |
v.弄皱,使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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131 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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132 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
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133 saluted | |
v.欢迎,致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 );赞扬,赞颂 | |
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134 aristocrats | |
n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 ) | |
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135 oratorical | |
adj.演说的,雄辩的 | |
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136 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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137 specimens | |
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 );范例;(化验的)抽样;某种类型的人 | |
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138 rusty | |
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的 | |
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139 ledgers | |
n.分类账( ledger的名词复数 ) | |
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140 homely | |
adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的 | |
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141 mansions | |
n.宅第,公馆,大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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142 wharves | |
n.码头,停泊处( wharf的名词复数 ) | |
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143 depicted | |
描绘,描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 ); 描述 | |
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144 stolid | |
adj.无动于衷的,感情麻木的 | |
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145 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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146 recesses | |
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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147 feigning | |
假装,伪装( feign的现在分词 ); 捏造(借口、理由等) | |
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148 emblems | |
n.象征,标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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149 entreat | |
v.恳求,恳请 | |
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150 irritation | |
n.激怒,恼怒,生气 | |
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151 obtrude | |
v.闯入;侵入;打扰 | |
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152 effigy | |
n.肖像 | |
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153 lumber | |
n.木材,木料;v.以破旧东西堆满;伐木;笨重移动 | |
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154 opportune | |
adj.合适的,适当的 | |
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155 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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156 grumblingly | |
喃喃报怨着,发牢骚着 | |
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157 perusal | |
n.细读,熟读;目测 | |
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158 mettle | |
n.勇气,精神 | |
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159 dart | |
v.猛冲,投掷;n.飞镖,猛冲 | |
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160 wharf | |
n.码头,停泊处 | |
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161 caustic | |
adj.刻薄的,腐蚀性的 | |
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162 retract | |
vt.缩回,撤回收回,取消 | |
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163 folly | |
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
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164 proprietor | |
n.所有人;业主;经营者 | |
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165 credentials | |
n.证明,资格,证明书,证件 | |
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166 denizen | |
n.居民,外籍居民 | |
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167 dominion | |
n.统治,管辖,支配权;领土,版图 | |
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168 blighted | |
adj.枯萎的,摧毁的 | |
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169 outright | |
adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的 | |
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170 vein | |
n.血管,静脉;叶脉,纹理;情绪;vt.使成脉络 | |
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171 ballad | |
n.歌谣,民谣,流行爱情歌曲 | |
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172 monstrously | |
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173 precisely | |
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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174 demonstration | |
n.表明,示范,论证,示威 | |
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175 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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176 pallid | |
adj.苍白的,呆板的 | |
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177 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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178 hearths | |
壁炉前的地板,炉床,壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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179 forefathers | |
n.祖先,先人;祖先,祖宗( forefather的名词复数 );列祖列宗;前人 | |
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180 brute | |
n.野兽,兽性 | |
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181 taunt | |
n.辱骂,嘲弄;v.嘲弄 | |
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182 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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183 indignity | |
n.侮辱,伤害尊严,轻蔑 | |
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184 suspense | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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185 swells | |
增强( swell的第三人称单数 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情) | |
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186 veins | |
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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187 feverish | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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188 intensity | |
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度 | |
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189 advert | |
vi.注意,留意,言及;n.广告 | |
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190 rampant | |
adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的 | |
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191 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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192 lust | |
n.性(淫)欲;渴(欲)望;vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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193 scourge | |
n.灾难,祸害;v.蹂躏 | |
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194 torment | |
n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠 | |
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195 tangled | |
adj. 纠缠的,紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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196 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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197 stature | |
n.(高度)水平,(高度)境界,身高,身材 | |
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198 exterminated | |
v.消灭,根绝( exterminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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199 allude | |
v.提及,暗指 | |
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200 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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201 solace | |
n.安慰;v.使快乐;vt.安慰(物),缓和 | |
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202 snail | |
n.蜗牛 | |
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203 oyster | |
n.牡蛎;沉默寡言的人 | |
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204 mite | |
n.极小的东西;小铜币 | |
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205 homage | |
n.尊敬,敬意,崇敬 | |
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206 emancipation | |
n.(从束缚、支配下)解放 | |
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207 confiding | |
adj.相信人的,易于相信的v.吐露(秘密,心事等)( confide的现在分词 );(向某人)吐露(隐私、秘密等) | |
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208 wagered | |
v.在(某物)上赌钱,打赌( wager的过去式和过去分词 );保证,担保 | |
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209 groaned | |
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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210 hissed | |
发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 ); 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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211 blot | |
vt.弄脏(用吸墨纸)吸干;n.污点,污渍 | |
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212 lawful | |
adj.法律许可的,守法的,合法的 | |
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213 disorder | |
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调 | |
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214 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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215 hoisted | |
把…吊起,升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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216 fustian | |
n.浮夸的;厚粗棉布 | |
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