I. April-magic
When Adhelmar had ended the tale of Dame1 Venus and the love which she bore the knight2 Tannhäuser (here one overtakes Nicolas midcourse in narrative3), Adhelmar put away the book and sighed. The Demoiselle Mélite laughed a little—her laughter, as I have told you, was high and delicate, with the resonance4 of thin glass—and demanded the reason of his sudden grief.
"I sigh," he answered, "for sorrow that this Dame Venus is dead."
"By Saint Vulfran, yes!" Adhelmar protested; "for the same Lady Venus was the fairest of women, as all learned clerks avow6; and she is dead these many years, and now there is no woman left alive so beautiful as she—saving one alone, and she will have none of me. And therefore," he added, very slowly, "I sigh for desire of Dame Venus and for envy of the knight Tannhäuser."
Again Mélite laughed, but she forbore—discreetly enough—to question him concerning the lady who was of equal beauty with Dame Venus.
It was an April morning, and they set in the hedged garden of Puysange. Adhelmar read to her of divers8 ancient queens and of the love-business wherein each took part, relating the histories of the Lady Heleine and of her sweethearting with Duke Paris, the Emperor of Troy's son, and of the Lady Melior that loved Parthénopex of Blois, and of the Lady Aude, for love of whom Sieur Roland slew9 the pagan Angoulaffre, and of the Lady Cresseide that betrayed love, and of the Lady Morgaine la Fée, whose Danish lover should yet come from Avalon to save France in her black hour of need. All these he read aloud, suavely10, with bland11 modulations, for he was a man of letters, as letters went in those days. Originally, he had been bred for the Church; but this vocation12 he had happily forsaken13 long since, protesting with some show of reason that France at this particular time had a greater need of spears than of aves.
For the rest, Sir Adhelmar de Nointel was known as a valiant14 knight, who had won glory in the wars with the English. He had lodged15 for a fortnight at Puysange, of which castle the master, Sire Reinault (son to the late Vicomte Florian) was Adhelmar's cousin: and on the next day Adhelmar proposed to set forth16 for Paris, where the French King—Jehan the Luckless—was gathering17 his lieges about him to withstand his kinsman18, Edward of England.
Now, as I have said, Adhelmar was cousin to Reinault, and, in consequence, to Reinault's sister, the Demoiselle Mélite; and the latter Adhelmar loved, at least, as much as a cousin should. That was well known; and Reinault de Puysange had sworn very heartily19 that this was a great pity when he affianced her to Hugues d'Arques. Both Hugues and Adhelmar had loved Mélite since boyhood,—so far their claims ran equally. But while Adhelmar had busied himself in the acquisition of some scant20 fame and a vast number of scars, Hugues had sensibly inherited the fief of Arques, a snug21 property with fertile lands and a stout22 fortress23. How, then, should Reinault hesitate between them?
He did not. For the Château d'Arques, you must understand, was builded in Lower Normandy, on the fringe of the hill-country, just where the peninsula of Cotentin juts24 out into the sea; Puysange stood not far north, among the level lands of Upper Normandy: and these two being the strongest castles in those parts, what more natural and desirable than that the families should be united by marriage? Reinault informed his sister of his decision; she wept a little, but did not refuse to comply.
So Adhelmar, come again to Puysange after five years' absence, found
Mélite troth-plighted, fast and safe, to Hugues. Reinault told him.
laughed shortly.
"I have loved Mélite," he said. "It may be that I love her still. Hah,
Saint Vulfran! why should I not? Why should a man not love his cousin?"
Adhelmar at the devil.
But the young knight stuck fast at Puysange, for all that, and he and Mélite were much together. Daily they made parties to dance, and to hunt the deer, and to fish, but most often to rehearse songs. For Adhelmar made good songs.
[Footnote: Nicolas indeed declares of Adhelmar, earlier in the tale, in such high terms as are not uncommon28 to this chronicle:
Hardi estait et fier comme lions,
Et si faisait balades et chançons,
Rondeaulx et laiz, très bans et pleins de grâce,
Comme Orpheus, cet menestrier de Thrace.]
To-day, the summer already stirring in the womb of the year, they sat, as I have said, in the hedged garden; and about them the birds piped and wrangled29 over their nest-building, and daffodils danced in spring's honor with lively saltations, and overhead the sky was colored like a robin's egg. It was very perilous31 weather for young folk. By reason of this, when he had ended his reading about the lady of the hollow hill, Sir Adhelmar sighed again, and stared at his companion with hungry eyes, wherein desire strained like a hound at the leash32.
Said Mélite, "Was this Lady Venus, then, exceedingly beautiful?"
Adhelmar swore an oath of sufficient magnitude that she was.
Whereupon Mélite, twisting her fingers idly and evincing a sudden interest in her own feet, demanded if this Venus were more beautiful than the Lady Ermengarde of Arnaye or the Lady Ysabeau of Brieuc.
"Holy Ouen!" scoffed33 Adhelmar; "these ladies, while well enough, I grant you, would seem to be callow howlets blinking about that Arabian Phoenix34 which Plinius tells of, in comparison with this Lady Venus that is dead!"
"But how," asked Mélite, "was this lady fashioned that you commend so highly?—and how can you know of her beauty who have never seen her?"
Said Adhelmar: "I have read of her fairness in the chronicles of Messire Stace of Thebes, and of Dares, who was her husband's bishop35. And she was very comely36, neither too little nor too big; she was fairer and whiter and more lovely than any flower of the lily or snow upon the branch, but her eyebrows37 had the mischance of meeting. She had wide-open, beautiful eyes, and her wit was quick and ready. She was graceful38 and of demure39 countenance40. She was well-beloved, and could herself love well, but her heart was changeable—"
"Cousin Adhelmar," declared Mélite, flushing somewhat, for the portrait was like enough, "I think that you tell of a woman, not of a goddess of heathenry."
"Her eyes," said Adhelmar, and his voice shook, and his hands, lifting a little, trembled,—"her eyes were large and very bright and of a color like that of the June sunlight falling upon deep waters. Her hair was of a curious gold color like the Fleece that the knight Jason sought, and it curled marvellously about her temples. For mouth she had but a small red wound; and her throat was a tower builded of ivory."
But now, still staring at her feet and glowing with the even complexion41 of a rose, (though not ill-pleased), the Demoiselle Mélite bade him desist and make her a song. Moreover, she added, beauty was but a fleeting42 thing, and she considered it of little importance; and then she laughed again.
Adhelmar took up the lute43 that lay beside them and fingered it for a moment, as though wondering of what he would rhyme. Afterward44 he sang for her as they sat in the gardens.
Sang Adhelmar:
_"It is in vain I mirror forth the praise
In pondered virelais
Of her that is the lady of my love;
Far-sought and curious phrases fail to tell
The tender miracle
Of her white body and the grace thereof.
"Thus many and many an artful-artless strain
Is fashioned all in vain:
Sound proves unsound; and even her name, that is
To me more glorious than the glow of fire
Or dawn or love's desire
Or opals interlinked with turquoises45,
"So, lacking skill to praise
That perfect bodily beauty which is hers,
Even as those worshippers
Their all, into the gold-paved ministers
Of Aphrodite, I have given her these
When he had ended, Adhelmar cast aside the lute, and caught up both of Mélite's hands, and strained them to his lips. There needed no wizard to read the message in his eyes.
Mélite sat silent for a moment. Presently, "Ah, cousin, cousin!" she sighed, "I cannot love you as you would have me love. God alone knows why, true heart, for I revere50 you as a strong man and a proven knight and a faithful lover; but I do not love you. There are many women who would love you, Adhelmar, for the world praises you, and you have done brave deeds and made good songs and have served your King potently51; and yet"—she drew her hands away and laughed a little wearily—"yet I, poor maid, must needs love Hugues, who has done nothing. This love is a strange, unreasoning thing, my cousin."
"But do you in truth love Hugues?" asked Adhelmar, in a harsh voice.
"Yes," said Mélite, very softly, and afterward flushed and wondered dimly if she had spoken the truth. Then, somehow, her arms clasped about Adhelmar's neck, and she kissed him, from pure pity, as she told herself; for Mélite's heart was tender, and she could not endure the anguish53 in his face.
This was all very well. But Hugues d'Arques, coming suddenly out of a pleached walk, at this juncture54, stumbled upon them and found their postures55 distasteful. He bent56 black brows upon the two.
"Adhelmar," said he, at length, "this world is a small place."
Adhelmar rose. "Indeed," he assented57, with a wried58 smile, "I think there is scarce room in it for both of us, Hugues."
"That was my meaning," said the Sieur d'Arques.
"Only," Adhelmar pursued, somewhat wistfully, "my sword just now, Hugues, is vowed59 to my King's quarrel. There are some of us who hope to save France yet, if our blood may avail. In a year, God willing, I shall come again to Puysange; and till then you must wait."
Hugues conceded that, perforce, he must wait, since a vow7 was sacred; and Adhelmar, who suspected Hugues' natural appetite for battle to be lamentably60 squeamish, grinned. After that, in a sick rage, Adhelmar struck Hugues in the face, and turned about.
The Sieur d'Arques rubbed his cheek ruefully. Then he and Mélite stood silent for a moment, and heard Adhelmar in the court-yard calling his men to ride forth; and Mélite laughed; and Hugues scowled61.
2. Nicolas as Chorus
The year passed, and Adhelmar did not return; and there was much fighting during that interval62, and Hugues began to think the knight was slain63 and would never return to fight with him. The reflection was borne with equanimity64.
So Adhelmar was half-forgot, and the Sieur d'Arques turned his mind to other matters. He was still a bachelor, for Reinault considered the burden of the times in ill-accord with the chinking of marriage-bells. They were grim times for Frenchmen: right and left the English pillaged65 and killed and sacked and guzzled66 and drank, as if they would never have done; and Edward of England began, to subscribe67 himself Rex Franciae with some show of excuse.
In Normandy men acted according to their natures. Reinault swore lustily and looked to his defences; Hugues, seeing the English everywhere triumphant68, drew a long face and doubted, when the will of God was made thus apparent, were it the part of a Christian69 to withstand it? Then he began to write letters, but to whom no man at either Arques or Puysange knew, saving One-eyed Peire, who carried them.
3. Treats of Huckstering
It was in the dusk of a rain-sodden October day that Adhelmar rode to the gates of Puysange, with some score men-at-arms behind him. They came from Poictiers, where again the English had conquered, and Adhelmar rode with difficulty, for in that disastrous70 business in the field of Maupertuis he had been run through the chest, and his wound was scarce healed. Nevertheless, he came to finish his debate with the Sieur d'Arques, wound or no wound.
But at Puysange he heard a strange tale of Hugues. Reinault, whom Adhelmar found in a fine rage, told the story as they sat over their supper.
It had happened, somehow, (Reinault said), that the Marshal Arnold d'Andreghen—newly escaped from prison and with his disposition71 unameliorated by Lord Audley's gaolership,—had heard of these letters that Hugues wrote so constantly; and the Marshal, being no scholar, had frowned at such doings, and waited presently, with a company of horse, on the road to Arques. Into their midst, on the day before Adhelmar came, rode Peire, the one-eyed messenger; and it was not an unconscionable while before Peire was bound hand and foot, and d'Andreghen was reading the letter they had found in Peire's jerkin. "Hang the carrier on that oak," said d'Andreghen, when he had ended, "but leave that largest branch yonder for the writer. For by the Blood of Christ, our common salvation72! I will hang him there on Monday!"
So Peire swung in the air ere long and stuck out a black tongue at the crows, who cawed and waited for supper; and presently they feasted while d'Andreghen rode to Arques, carrying a rope for Hugues.
For the Marshal, you must understand, was a man of sudden action. Only two months ago, he had taken the Comte de Harcourt with other gentlemen from the Dauphin's own table to behead them that afternoon in a field behind Rouen. It was true they had planned to resist the gabelle, the King's immemorial right to impose a tax on salt; but Harcourt was Hugues' cousin, and the Sieur d'Arques, being somewhat of an epicurean disposition, esteemed73 the dessert accorded his kinsman unpalatable.
There was no cause for great surprise to d'Andreghen, then, to find that the letter Hugues had written was meant for Edward, the Black Prince of England, now at Bordeaux, where he held the French King, whom the Prince had captured at Poictiers, as a prisoner; for this prince, though he had no particular love for a rogue74, yet knew how to make use of one when kingcraft demanded it,—and, as he afterward made use of Pedro the Castilian, he was now prepared to make use of Hugues, who hung like a ripe pear ready to drop into Prince Edward's mouth. "For," as the Sieur d'Arques pointed75 out in his letter, "I am by nature inclined to favor you brave English, and so, beyond doubt, is the good God. And I will deliver Arques to you; and thus and thus you may take Normandy and the major portion of France; and thus and thus will I do, and thus and thus must you reward me."
Said d'Andreghen, "I will hang him at dawn; and thus and thus may the devil do with his soul!"
Then with his company d'Andreghen rode to Arques. A herald76 declared to the men of that place how the matter stood, and bade Hugues come forth and dance upon nothing. The Sieur d'Arques spat77 curses, like a cat driven into a corner, and wished to fight, but the greater part of his garrison78 were not willing to do so in such a cause: and so d'Andreghen took him and carried him off.
In anger having sworn by the Blood of Christ to hang Hugues d'Arques to a certain tree, d'Andreghen had no choice in calm but to abide79 by his oath. This day being the Sabbath, he deferred80 the matter; but the Marshal promised to see to it that when morning broke the Sieur d'Arques should dangle81 side by side with his messenger.
Thus far the Vicomte de Puysange. He concluded his narrative with a dry chuckle82. "And I think we are very well rid of him, Adhelmar. Holy Maclou! that I should have taken the traitor83 for a true man, though! He would sell France, you observe,—chaffered, they tell me, like a pedlar over the price of Normandy. Heh, the huckster, the triple-damned Jew!"
"And Mélite?" asked Adhelmar, after a little.
Again Reinault shrugged84. "In the White Turret85," he said; then, with a short laugh: "Oy Dieus, yes! The girl has been caterwauling for this shabby rogue all day. She would have me—me, the King's man, look you!—save Hugues at the peril30 of my seignory! And I protest to you, by the most high and pious86 Saint Nicolas the Confessor," Reinault swore, "that sooner than see this huckster go unpunished, I would lock Hell's gate on him with my own hands!"
For a moment Adhelmar stood with his jaws87 puffed88 out, as if in thought, and then he laughed like a wolf. Afterward he went to the White Turret, leaving Reinault smiling over his wine.
He found Mélite alone. She had robed herself in black, and had gathered her gold hair about her face like a heavy veil, and sat weeping into it for the plight25 of Hugues d'Arques.
"Mélite!" cried Adhelmar; "Mélite!" The Demoiselle de Puysange rose with a start, and, seeing him standing91 in the doorway92, ran to him, incompetent93 little hands fluttering before her like frightened doves. She was very tired, by that day-long arguing with her brother's notions about honor and knightly94 faith and such foolish matters, and to her weariness Adhelmar seemed strength incarnate95; surely he, if any one, could aid Hugues and bring him safe out of the grim marshal's claws. For the moment, perhaps, she had forgotten the feud96 which existed between Adhelmar and the Sieur d'Arques; but in any event, I am convinced, she knew that Adhelmar could refuse her nothing. So she ran toward him, her cheeks flushing arbutus-like, and she was smiling through her tears.
Oh, thought Adhelmar, were it not very easy to leave Hugues to the dog's death he merits and to take this woman for my own? For I know that she loves me a little. And thinking of this, he kissed her, quietly, as one might comfort a sobbing97 child; afterward he held her in his arms for a moment, wondering vaguely98 at the pliant99 thickness of her hair and the sweet scent100 of it. Then he put her from him gently, and swore in his soul that Hugues must die, so that this woman might be Adhelmar's.
"You will save him?" Mélite asked, and raised her face to his. There was that in her eyes which caused Adhelmar to muse101 for a little on the nature of women's love, and, subsequently, to laugh harshly and make vehement102 utterance.
"Yes!" said Adhelmar.
He demanded how many of Hugues' men were about. Some twenty of them had come to Puysange, Mélite said, in the hope that Reinault might aid them to save their master. She protested that her brother was a coward for not doing so; but Adhelmar, having his own opinion on this subject, and thinking in his heart that Hugues' skin might easily be ripped off him without spilling a pint103 of honest blood, said, simply: "Twenty and twenty is two-score. It is not a large armament, but it may serve."
He told her his plan was to fall suddenly upon d'Andreghen and his men that night, and in the tumult104 to steal Hugues away; whereafter, as Adhelmar pointed out, Hugues might readily take ship for England, and leave the marshal to blaspheme Fortune in Normandy, and the French King to gnaw105 at his chains in Bordeaux, while Hugues toasts his shins in comfort at London. Adhelmar admitted that the plan was a mad one, but added, reasonably enough, that needs must when the devil drives. And so firm was his confidence, so cheery his laugh—he managed to laugh somehow, though it was a stiff piece of work,—that Mélite began to be comforted somewhat, and bade him go and Godspeed.
So then Adhelmar left her. In the main hall he found the vicomte still sitting over his wine of Anjou.
"Cousin," said Adhelmar, "I must ride hence to-night."
Reinault stared at him: a mastering wonder woke in Reinault's face. "Ta, ta, ta!" he clicked his tongue, very softly. Afterward he sprang to his feet and clutched Adhelmar by both arms. "No, no!" Reinault cried. "No, Adhelmar, you must not try that! It is death, lad,—sure death! It means hanging, boy!" the vicomte pleaded, for, hard man that he was, he loved Adhelmar.
"That is likely enough," Adhelmar conceded.
"They will hang you,"' Reinault said again: "d'Andreghen and the Count
"That, too," said Adhelmar, "is likely enough, if I remain in France."
"Oy Dieus! will you flee to England, then?" the vicomte scoffed, bitterly. "Has King Edward not sworn to hang you these eight years past? Was it not you, then, cousin, who took Almerigo di Pavia, that Lombard knave107 whom he made governor of Calais,—was it not you, then, who delivered Edward's loved Almerigo to Geoffrey de Chargny, who had him broken on the wheel? Eh, holy Maclou! but you will get hearty108 welcome and a chaplain and a rope in England."
Adhelmar admitted that this was true. "Still," said he, "I must ride hence to-night."
"For her?" Reinault asked, and jerked his thumb upward.
"Yes," said Adhelmar,—"for her."
Reinault stared in his face for a while. "You are a fool, Adhelmar," said he, at last, "but you are a brave man, and you love as becomes a chevalier. It is a great pity that a flibbertigibbet wench with a tow-head should be the death of you. For my part, I am the King's vassal109; I shall not break faith with him; but you are my guest and my kinsman. For that reason I am going to bed, and I shall sleep very soundly. It is likely I shall hear nothing of the night's doings,—ohimé, no! not if you murder d'Andreghen in the court-yard!" Reinault ended, and smiled, somewhat sadly.
Afterward he took Adhelmar's hand and said: "Farewell, lord Adhelmar! O true knight, sturdy and bold! terrible and merciless toward your enemies, gentle and simple toward your friends, farewell!"
He kissed Adhelmar on either cheek and left him. In those days men encountered death with very little ado.
Then Adhelmar rode off in the rain with thirty-four armed followers110. Riding thus, he reflected upon the nature of women and upon his love for the Demoiselle de Puysange; and, to himself, he swore gloomily that if she had a mind to Hugues she must have Hugues, come what might. Having reached this conclusion, Adhelmar wheeled upon his men, and cursed them for tavern111-idlers and laggards112 and flea-hearted snails113, and bade them spur.
Mélite, at her window, heard them depart, and heard the noise of their going lapse114 into the bland monotony of the rain's noise. This dank night now divulged115 no more, and she turned back into the room. Adhelmar's glove, which he had forgotten in his haste, lay upon the floor, and Mélite lifted it and twisted it idly.
"I wonder—?" said she.
She lighted four wax candles and set them before a mirror that was in the room. Mélite stood among them and looked into the mirror. She seemed very tall and very slender, and her loosened hair hung heavily about her beautiful shallow face and fell like a cloak around her black-robed body, showing against the black gown like melting gold; and about her were the tall, white candles tipped with still flames of gold. Mélite laughed—her laughter was high and delicate, with the resonance of thin glass,—and raised her arms above her, head, stretching tensely like a cat before a fire, and laughed yet again.
"After all," said she, "I do not wonder."
Mélite sat before the mirror, and braided her hair, and sang to herself in a sweet, low voice, brooding with unfathomable eyes upon her image in the glass, while the October rain beat about Puysange, and Adhelmar rode forth to save Hugues that must else be hanged.
Sang Mélite:
"_Rustling leaves of the willow-tree
Peering downward at you and me,
And no man else in the world to see,
"Only the birds, whose dusty coats
Turn joy to music and love to notes_.
"Lean your body against the tree,
Lifting your red lips up to me,
Mélite, and kiss, with no man to see!
"And let us laugh for a little:—Yea,
Let love and laughter herald the day
When laughter and love will be put away.
"Then you will remember the willow-tree
And this very hour, and remember me,
Mélite,—whose face you will no more see!
"So swift, so swift the glad time goes,
Draw near, and the end thereof no man knows,
"Lean your body against the tree,
Lifting your red lips up to me,
Mélite, and kiss, with no man to see!"_
Mélite smiled as she sang; for this was a song that Adhelmar had made for her upon a May morning at Nointel, before he was a knight, when both were very young. So now she smiled to remember the making of the verses which she sang while the October rain was beating about Puysange.
5. Night-work
It was not long before they came upon d'Andreghen and his men camped about a great oak, with One-eyed Peire a-swing over their heads for a lamentable119 banner. A shrill120 sentinel, somewhere in the dark, demanded the newcomers' business, but without receiving any adequate answer, for at that moment Adhelmar gave the word to charge.
Then it was as if all the devils in Pandemonium121 had chosen Normandy for their playground; and what took place in the night no man saw for the darkness, so that I cannot tell you of it. Let it suffice that Adhelmar rode away before d'Andreghen had rubbed sleep well out of his eyes; and with Adhelmar were Hugues d'Arques and some half of Adhelmar's men. The rest were dead, and Adhelmar was badly hurt, for he had burst open his old wound and it was bleeding under his armor. Of this he said nothing.
"Hugues," said he, "do you and these fellows ride to the coast; thence take ship for England."
He would have none of Hugues' thanks; instead, he turned and left Hugues to whimper out his gratitude122 to the skies, which spat a warm, gusty123 rain at him. Adhelmar rode again to Puysange, and as he went he sang.
Sang Adhelmar:
"D'Andreghen in Normandy
But as he went
"Wherefore, I may call and cry
That am now about to die,
'I am content!'
"Domine! Domine!
Gratias accipe!
Et meum animum
Recipe in coelum_!"
6. They Kiss at Parting
When he had come to Puysange, Adhelmar climbed the stairs of the White Turret,—slowly, for he was growing very feeble now,—and so came again to Mélite crouching126 among the burned-out candles in the slate-colored twilight127 which heralded128 dawn.
"He is safe," said Adhelmar. He told Mélite how Hugues was rescued and shipped to England, and how, if she would, she might straightway follow him in a fishing-boat. "For there is likely to be ugly work at Puysange," Adhelmar said, "when the marshal comes. And he will come."
"But what will you do now, my cousin?" asked Mélite.
"Holy Ouen!" said Adhelmar; "since I needs must die, I will die in
France, not in the cold land of England."
"Die!" cried Mélite. "Are you hurt so sorely, then?"
He grinned like a death's-head. "My injuries are not incurable," said he, "yet must I die very quickly, for all that. The English King will hang me if I go thither129, as he has sworn to do these eight years, because of that matter of Almerigo di Pavia: and if I stay in France, I must hang because of this night's work."
Mélite wept. "O God! O God!" she quavered, two or three times, like one hurt in the throat. "And you have done this for me! Is there no way to save you, Adhelmar?" she pleaded, with wide, frightened eyes that were like a child's.
"None," said Adhelmar. He took both her hands in his, very tenderly. "Ah, my sweet," said he, "must I, whose grave is already digged, waste breath upon this idle talk of kingdoms and the squabbling men who rule them? I have but a brief while to live, and I wish to forget that there is aught else in the world save you, and that I love you. Do not weep, Mélite! In a little time you will forget me and be happy with this Hugues whom you love; and I?—ah, my sweet, I think that even in my grave I shall dream of you and of your great beauty and of the exceeding love that I bore you in the old days."
"Ah, no, I shall not ever forget, O true and faithful lover! And, indeed, indeed, Adhelmar, I would give my life right willingly that yours might be saved!"
She had almost forgotten Hugues. Her heart was sad as she thought of Adhelmar, who must die a shameful130 death for her sake, and of the love which she had cast away. Beside it, the Sieur d'Arques' affection showed somewhat tawdry, and Mélite began to reflect that, after all, she had liked Adhelmar almost as well.
"Sweet," said Adhelmar, "do I not know you to the marrow131? You will forget me utterly132, for your heart is very changeable. Ah, Mother of God!" Adhelmar cried, with a quick lift of speech; "I am afraid to die, for the harsh dust will shut out the glory of your face, and you will forget!"
"No; ah, no!" Mélite whispered, and drew near to him. Adhelmar smiled, a little wistfully, for he did not believe that she spoke52 the truth; but it was good to feel her body close to his, even though he was dying, and he was content.
But by this time the dawn had come completely, flooding the room with its first thin radiance, and Mélite saw the pallor of his face and so knew that he was wounded.
"Indeed, yes," said Adhelmar, when she had questioned him, "for my breast is quite cloven through." And when she disarmed133 him, Mélite found a great cut in his chest which had bled so much that it was apparent he must die, whether d'Andreghen and Edward of England would or no.
Mélite wept again, and cried, "Why had you not told me of this?"
"To have you heal me, perchance?" said Adhelmar. "Ah, love, is hanging, then, so sweet a death that I should choose it, rather than to die very peacefully in your arms? Indeed, I would not live if I might; for I have proven traitor to my King, and it is right that traitors134 should die; and, chief of all, I know that life can bring me naught135 more desirable than I have known this night. What need, then, have I to live?"
Mélite bent over him; for as he spoke he had lain back in a tall carven chair by the east window. She was past speech. But now, for a moment, her lips clung to his, and her warm tears fell upon his face. What better death for a lover? thought Adhelmar.
Yet he murmured somewhat. "Pity, always pity!" he said, wearily. "I shall never win aught else of you, Mélite. For before this you have kissed me, pitying me because you could not love me. And you have kissed me now, pitying me because I may not live."
But Mélite, clasping her arms about his neck, whispered into his ear the meaning of this last kiss, and at the honeyed sound of her whispering his strength came back for a moment, and he strove to rise. The level sunlight through the open window smote136 full upon his face, which was very glad. Mélite was conscious of her nobility in causing him such delight at the last.
"God, God!" cried Adhelmar, and he spread out his arms toward the dear, familiar world that was slowly taking form beneath them,—a world now infinitely137 dear to him; "all, my God, have pity and let me live a little longer!"
As Mélite, half frightened, drew back from him, he crept out of his chair and fell prone138 at her feet. Afterward his hands stretched forward toward her, clutching, and then trembled and were still.
Mélite stood looking downward, wondering vaguely when she would next know either joy or sorrow again. She was now conscious of no emotion whatever. It seemed to her she ought to be more greatly moved. So the new day found them.
* * * * *
MARCH 2, 1414
"Jack139, how agrees the devil and thee about thy soul, that thou soldest him for a cup of Madeira and a cold capon's leg?"
_In the chapel140 at Puysange you may still see the tomb of Adhelmar; but Mélite's bones lie otherwhere. "Her heart was changeable," as old Nicolas says, justly enough; and so in due time it was comforted.
For Hugues d'Arques—or Hugh Darke, as his name was Anglicized—presently stood high in the favor of King Edward. A fief was granted to Messire Darke, in Norfolk, where Hugues shortly built for himself a residence at Yaxham, and began to look about for a wife: it was not long before he found one.
This befell at Brétigny when, in 1360, the Great Peace was signed between France and England, and Hugues, as one of the English embassy, came face to face with Reinault and Mélite. History does not detail the meeting; but, inasmuch as the Sieur d'Arques and Mélite de Puysange were married at Rouen the following October, doubtless it passed off pleasantly enough.
The couple had sufficient in common to have qualified141 them for several decades of mutual142 toleration. But by ill luck, Mélite died in child-birth three years after her marriage. She had borne, in 1361, twin daughters, of whom Adelais died a spinster; the other daughter, Sylvia, circa 1378, figured in an unfortunate love-affair with one of Sir Thomas Mowbray's attendants, but subsequently married Robert Vernon of Winstead. Mélite left also a son, Hugh, born in 1363, who succeeded to his father's estate of Yaxham in 1387, in which year Hugues fell at the battle of Radcot Bridge, fighting in behalf of the ill-fated Richard of Bordeaux.
Now we turn to certain happenings in Eastcheap, at the Boar's Head
Tavern._
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1
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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2
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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3
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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resonance
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| n.洪亮；共鸣；共振 | |
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glum
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| adj.闷闷不乐的，阴郁的 | |
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avow
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| v.承认，公开宣称 | |
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vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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suavely
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bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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18
kinsman
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| n.男亲属 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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20
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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24
juts
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| v.（使）突出( jut的第三人称单数 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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26
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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27
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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29
wrangled
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| v.争吵，争论，口角( wrangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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32
leash
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| n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住 | |
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33
scoffed
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| 嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
phoenix
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| n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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36
comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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38
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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39
demure
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| adj.严肃的；端庄的 | |
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40
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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41
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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42
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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43
lute
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| n.琵琶，鲁特琴 | |
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44
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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45
turquoises
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| n.绿松石( turquoise的名词复数 )；青绿色 | |
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46
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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47
maize
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| n.玉米 | |
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48
faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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49
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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50
revere
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| vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏 | |
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51
potently
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52
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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53
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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54
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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55
postures
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| 姿势( posture的名词复数 )； 看法； 态度； 立场 | |
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56
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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57
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
wried
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| 歪曲，扭曲（wry的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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60
lamentably
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| adv.哀伤地，拙劣地 | |
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61
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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63
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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64
equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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pillaged
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| v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
guzzled
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| v.狂吃暴饮，大吃大喝( guzzle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
subscribe
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| vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助 | |
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68
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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69
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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70
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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71
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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72
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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73
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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74
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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75
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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76
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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77
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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78
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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79
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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80
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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81
dangle
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| v.(使)悬荡，(使)悬垂 | |
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82
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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83
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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84
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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85
turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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86
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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87
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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88
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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89
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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90
attested
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| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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91
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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92
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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93
incompetent
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| adj.无能力的，不能胜任的 | |
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94
knightly
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| adj. 骑士般的 adv. 骑士般地 | |
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95
incarnate
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| adj.化身的，人体化的，肉色的 | |
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96
feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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97
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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98
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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99
pliant
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| adj.顺从的；可弯曲的 | |
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100
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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101
muse
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| n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感 | |
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102
vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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103
pint
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| n.品脱 | |
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104
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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105
gnaw
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| v.不断地啃、咬；使苦恼，折磨 | |
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106
blithely
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| adv.欢乐地，快活地，无挂虑地 | |
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107
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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108
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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109
vassal
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| n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的 | |
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110
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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111
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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112
laggards
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| n.落后者( laggard的名词复数 ) | |
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113
snails
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| n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 ) | |
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114
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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115
divulged
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| v.吐露，泄露( divulge的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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117
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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118
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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119
lamentable
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| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
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120
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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121
pandemonium
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| n.喧嚣，大混乱 | |
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122
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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123
gusty
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| adj.起大风的 | |
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124
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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125
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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127
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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128
heralded
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| v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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129
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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130
shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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131
marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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132
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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133
disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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134
traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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135
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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136
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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137
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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139
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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140
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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141
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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