"George, is that you? You are back? When did you get back?"
There was something unusual about the manner in which he descended5 the steps without giving an answer. She thought he was shaking with anger. When he spoke6 his voice sounded odd, almost as though he were drunk.
[pg 203]
"I got back," he said slowly, picking his words with care, "not so very--not such a long time ago. The servants said you were out--you had gone out to dinner--with Mrs.--with Mrs. Roy----."
Trixie stood up in the dog-cart. George had put out his hand to help her down; his face looked haggard and drawn7, his eyes were sunk deep in his head. As she alighted he steadied her trembling form, and glanced up at the young man sitting, dumb with surprise and alarm, in the trap.
"Thank you for bringing my wife home, Greaves," said Coventry, with laborious8 courtesy. "See you to-morrow, perhaps. Good-night."
"Good-night, sir," came a respectful and relieved response; and without looking back Guy Greaves drove rapidly out of the compound.
Husband and wife stood alone on the steps of their veranda. For a space neither of them uttered a word. Trixie's heart beat painfully; she waited for George to speak, almost choking with apprehension10. Was he dreadfully angry? What was he going to say? Wild visions of futile12 explanations and excuses, followed by disgrace, despair, even perhaps divorce, crowded her mind and rendered her weak and helpless. She yearned13 to throw herself into his arms, to feel his lips on hers, to weep out her love and her contrition14 on his
[pg 204]
breast. He stood there beside her, handsome, tall, to her adorable. Had she lost him through her foolishness, her lack of will? She dared not speak; a little sob15 was all the sound she made. Then suddenly she became conscious that George was swaying slightly as he stood. He began to say something, still in that odd, unnatural16 voice, but now the words were without coherence17.
"George, are you ill?" she asked in quick concern, a concern that ousted18 all other distress19 for the moment.
He put up his hand to his head which was burning and throbbing20 with fever, and tried to control his wandering senses. He wanted to speak and tell Trixie not to be frightened. He was vaguely21 aware that she feared his reproaches, his anger; on her arrival her face and her voice had betrayed it, and she had trembled, poor child, as he helped her out of the dog-cart. He wanted to ask her easily, gently, where she had been, what had happened, with natural intonation22, to make her believe that whatever she told him, of course he should quite understand. Instead he knew he was saying something entirely23 different, and he found himself powerless to prevent it. Trixie looked dim, indistinct, and her voice sounded far away, at the other end of the compound.
She was asking, alarmed and bewildered:
[pg 205]
"What do you mean? Dearest, what is the matter?"
He groped for her hand as though he were blind. "I was trying to tell you," he said thickly, "that I--that I"--he made a desperate endeavour to hold to his purpose, but failed--"I wanted to tell you about the woman in the bazaar24." Then he reeled; and his wife, exerting all her strength, half supported, half dragged him to a chair.
A fortnight went by, and at sunset one evening Trixie Coventry came out of the bungalow25 to stroll with lagging feet about the garden. She looked white and weary, yet relief was in her eyes for suspense26 was over, George was gaining strength. His illness had been sharp, a vicious form of fever contracted in the jungle and encouraged by the journey, as well as by all that had followed on the night of his return. For days and nights after his collapse27 in the veranda he had either raved28 and tossed, or lain exhausted29 and inert30 scarcely conscious of existence. Fortunately a good nurse had been available, and, as is usual in India, people had been immeasurably kind and helpful. Yet the strain had been severe for Trixie, the watching, the anxiety, the long hot nights, the dread11 until the doctor could, with truth, assure her that her husband would not die; and underneath32 it all lay
[pg 206]
the harrowing uncertainty33 of what George had been about to say to her when delirium34 had intervened. Nothing in his wanderings had given her the smallest clue. As frequently happens when sickness causes derangement35, the subject nearest his mind had seemingly fled. He babbled36 of trifles, of things that had never occurred, and complained with fractious persistence37 that a tortoise-shell cat with no eyes would sit on his bed.
Now that was all over, and the terrible weakness that followed had been fought with uninterrupted success, till now he was able to sit propped38 up in a chair, though looking perhaps, as he said himself, "like a famine-relief-wallah--nothing but eyes and bones." Yet, so far, he had uttered no word to set Trixie's mind at rest on the subject that haunted her thoughts and leavened39 her joy in his convalescence40. His manner, at least, was the same as of old towards her, lover-like, and in addition so grateful for all her care; but she was conscious that sometimes when she was moving about the room, his eyes were fixed41 on her with an expression she could not define to herself, a mixture of patient interrogation, and--was it doubt? Often during the last two days, now that he was able to talk without subsequent loss of strength, she had resolved to make herself speak, and explain; but always something had stopped her, either her
[pg 207]
courage had failed, or the nurse had come in, or he had said something commonplace just at the moment which seemed to render that moment unsuitable for a confession42.
Then this morning, just as she thought she had nerved herself up to the point, he had suddenly asked her to write to Guy Greaves.
"Tell him I want to see him," he said; "tell him to try and come over this afternoon."
She had glanced at him nervously43, swiftly; his voice told her nothing, he might have been bidding her ask any one of his friends in the station to pay him a visit. Also his head was bent44, he was patting one of the dogs, so his face was not visible. Therefore she wrote the note without question or comment, and wondered how Guy would feel when he got it!
She avoided Guy when he arrived in the evening; and now, while he sat with George, she was strolling about in the garden, uneasy and restless. The lawn looked scorched45 and hard, despite generous watering that now seemed hardly worth the labour and expense for the water only dried, hissing46, as it reached the earth, raising a little steamy vapour that dispersed47, leaving everything as hot and dry and arid48 as before. The evening had brought neither coolness nor sweet scents49, and it seemed difficult to determine whether the heat came
[pg 208]
from the dull yellow sky, or from the cracked earth beneath. Birds stupefied with the close atmosphere held open their dry beaks50 as though gasping51 for breath, shrubs52 and trees drooped53 thirstily.
Trixie noted54 it all with a sense of personal detachment from her surroundings. The heat was intensely trying, but this being her first hot weather she did not suffer so much as if she had lived longer in the country. She was suffering more from the shock and the strain of George's illness than from the actual heat, and also she awaited the appearance of Guy Greaves from the house with an agitation55 that was painful. Not that she feared any longer such exaggerated possibilities as had tortured her imagination on the night of her river adventure with Guy, when her mental perspective had been blurred56 by remorse57 and vexation. She could almost have laughed, recalling the fear of disgrace and divorce that had assailed58 her so wildly; what harassed59 her now was the thought that her husband might never believe in or trust her again, that his confidence in her might never be fully9 restored. And with this apprehension was mingled60 a sense of resentment61 that George should have sent for Guy to ask him about that tiresome62 night on the river before she had told him herself. Perhaps he imagined she did not intend to tell him
[pg 209]
at all, or perhaps he had planned to elicit63 the truth from Guy, so that by no possibility could she deceive him! Well, if that were his motive64 then nothing should make her explain; she would answer no questions, and offer no single excuse. George could content himself with whatever he had been able to get out of Guy; if he liked he might even suspect her of waylaying65 Guy and concocting66 the plausible67 story of accidental delay! The old defiant68 temper arose within her, obliterating69 for the moment all her late repentance70 and her chastened mood.
She had worked herself into a state of unbearable71 tension by the time she caught sight of Guy Greaves in the veranda. He came down the steps looking absurdly young; there was something rather sheepish and ashamed in his demeanour, like a schoolboy fresh from reproof72 concerning some senseless prank73. Trixie waited for him, feeling angry and contemptuous. She would have liked to bid him tell her nothing of what had passed between himself and George, but human nature could not be resisted.
"Well?" she said with ungracious reluctance74, dispensing75 with formal greeting.
"How do you mean? How did I think he was looking? It has knocked him about a bit certainly. I got quite a shock at first when I saw
[pg 210]
him, but he declares he feels splendid, and he talked no end. I hope it hasn't tired him awfully76."
"You know perfectly77 well what I mean. What did he say to you about that night?" She hated herself for asking the question, and hated Guy also for making her ask it.
"He said nothing at all about it."
"What?" cried Trixie, amazed and incredulous.
"Fact," said Guy, and nodded his head, regarding her gravely. "I tell you I was in a blue funk when I got your note, and you told me nothing as to how the land lay. You might at least have let me know that everything was all serene78. He never mentioned the subject, and, of course, I wasn't going to begin."
Trixie's natural gumption79 failed her for once. In the moment of sudden reaction, following on her suspense and emotion, the fact escaped her that Guy was assuming she had put matters right--had explained the whole thing to the colonel's complete satisfaction.
"But"--the words came from her lips involuntarily--"I felt certain he had sent for you to ask you about it!"
"Good Lord! then you hadn't told him?" They gazed at each other in mutual80 discomfiture81. "And he said he wished I'd take you for a drive
[pg 211]
because you'd been bottled up looking after him all this time and it would do you good. By gad," he concluded, "he's a stunner, and to think that we ever imagined----"
"How dare you say 'we'!" cried Trixie unfairly. "Didn't I tell you it showed how little you knew him?"
"Well, you needn't rub it in," he protested; "and if it comes to that----"
Trixie flushed, and her eyes filled with tears. "Yes, I know," she said helplessly, "it's no use pretending----"
For a few moments they stood silent, so motionless that a grey squirrel whisked across the grass between them and shot up the nearest tree elated with his own daring. Daylight was fading rapidly, in a short time it would be dark; the sultry heat of the evening seemed to grow more oppressive. Insects were humming around them, and bats had begun to swoop82 low over the lawn.
Guy Greaves broke the pause. "I suppose," he said indiscreetly, "it's too late now for a drive."
"A drive!" echoed Trixie, with scorn. "I'm going in now to tell George what I think of myself--and him."
"And what about me?" asked the boy, a forlorn sort of humour pervading83 his tone.
"You don't count," Trixie told him with heartless
[pg 212]
candour. "Nobody in the world counts with me except George."
She moved towards the bungalow, a slender white form in the dusk. Guy watched her go up the steps; then he gave a little wistful sigh and summoned his trap.
George was still in his chair when Trixie entered the room. At the far end she could see his head and shoulders silhouetted84 against the opposite open door. The lamps had not yet been lighted, and a powerful electric fan kept the air in motion, creating a semblance85 of coolness. Was he asleep? She stole softly round the back of the chair and knelt by his side.
"Trixie?" His arm went round her; she pressed her face against his.
"Shall I tell you now," she asked, "or are you tired?"
"Tell away," he encouraged her cheerfully, in prompt understanding.
There was a pause; then he found she was crying.
"Darling!" he urged with concern. "Whatever you tell me I shall believe--of course."
"Oh, George, I love you, I love you; but I was frightened. I didn't know what you might think. Really I hadn't--hadn't done anything awfully wrong."
[pg 213]
"I know, I know," he soothed86 with tenderness, and waited, stroking her hair until she grew calmer. "Well? How did it happen? Don't tell me unless you like; it won't make any difference."
"Oh, but I want to explain," she began once more. "You know, that evening, the night you came back, it was so hot and so lonely, it seemed as if the time would never go by--and I let myself be persuaded into dining with that rowdy little Roy woman. We all went on the river afterwards because there was such a moon; and somehow, not on purpose, I went in a boat alone with Guy Greaves." She paused again, reluctant to "give away Guy," yet anxious to make no concealment87. The pause and a little unconscious movement signified mental unease; Coventry guessed what had followed and came to her aid.
"And then, I dare say," he suggested good-humouredly, "young Guy made an ass31 of himself, and you were obliged to squash him?"
"Oh, George, how did you know?"
"Never mind. Well, let us skip that part and proceed. What happened next?"
"Then we got stuck on the sandbank. I thought we should be there all night, perhaps till after you had got home next day." She shivered, recalling her anguish88 of mind.
Slowly the tale was unfolded, till she came to
[pg 214]
the walk through the dust in the road, and then she omitted, without hesitation89, her quarrel with Guy regarding her husband, and the qualms90 it had caused her of which she was sorely ashamed; so she unwittingly spared him a measure of extra pain.
When she had finished he kissed her lips. Words were not needed between them now. She laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh of supreme91 content, feeling ineffably92 happy.... The room was almost in darkness; the only sound within it was the whirring of the fan.
Coventry drew his wife into his arms; he knew she was wholly his. Love and tenderness flooded his heart, that yet ached with a load that could never be lightened. For even as he held her, sweet and silent, to his breast, his conscience cried the bitter truth--that always must he owe the saving of her love, and of her trust, to the woman in the bazaar.
Printed by Cassell & Company, Limited, La Belle93 Sauvage, London, E.C.
The End
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收听单词发音
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1
whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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6
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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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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9
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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11
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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12
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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yearned
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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contrition
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| n.悔罪，痛悔 | |
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sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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16
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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coherence
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| n.紧凑；连贯；一致性 | |
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18
ousted
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| 驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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24
bazaar
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| n.集市，商店集中区 | |
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bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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28
raved
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| v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说 | |
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29
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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31
ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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32
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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derangement
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| n.精神错乱 | |
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36
babbled
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| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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37
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
leavened
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| adj.加酵母的v.使（面团）发酵( leaven的过去式和过去分词 )；在…中掺入改变的因素 | |
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convalescence
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| n.病后康复期 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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44
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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45
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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46
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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47
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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48
arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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49
scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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50
beaks
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| n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者 | |
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51
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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52
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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53
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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55
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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56
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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57
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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58
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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59
harassed
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| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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60
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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61
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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62
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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63
elicit
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| v.引出,抽出,引起 | |
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64
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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65
waylaying
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| v.拦截，拦路( waylay的现在分词 ) | |
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66
concocting
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| v.将（尤指通常不相配合的）成分混合成某物( concoct的现在分词 )；调制；编造；捏造 | |
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67
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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68
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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69
obliterating
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| v.除去( obliterate的现在分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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70
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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71
unbearable
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| adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的 | |
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72
reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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73
prank
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| n.开玩笑，恶作剧；v.装饰；打扮；炫耀自己 | |
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74
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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75
dispensing
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| v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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76
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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77
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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78
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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79
gumption
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| n.才干 | |
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80
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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81
discomfiture
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| n.崩溃；大败；挫败；困惑 | |
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82
swoop
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| n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击 | |
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83
pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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84
silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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85
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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86
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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87
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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88
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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89
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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90
qualms
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| n.不安；内疚 | |
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91
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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92
ineffably
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| adv.难以言喻地，因神圣而不容称呼地 | |
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93
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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