“Plagues à Dieu ja la nueitz non falhis,
Ni la gayta jorn ni alba ne vis.
Oy Dieus! oy Dieus! de l’alba tan tost we!”
THE SECOND NOVEL.—ELLINOR OF CASTILE, BEING ENAMORED OF A HANDSOME PERSON, IS IN HER FLIGHT FROM MARITAL2 OBLIGATIONS ASSISTED BY HER HUSBAND, AND IS IN THE END BY HIM CONVINCED OF THE RATIONALITY OF ALL ATTENDANT CIRCUMSTANCES.
The Story of the Tenson
In the year of grace 1265 (Nicolas begins), about the festival of Saint Peter ad Vincula, the Prince de Gâtinais came to Burgos. Before this he had lodged3 for three months in the district of Ponthieu; and the object of his southern journey was to assure the tenth Alphonso, then ruling in Castile, that the latter’s sister Ellinor, now resident at Entréchat, was beyond any reasonable doubt the transcendent lady whose existence old romancers had anticipated, however cloudily, when they fabled4 in remote time concerning Queen Heleine of Sparta.
There was a postscript5 to this news. The world knew that the King of Leon and Castile desired to be King of Germany as well, and that at present a single vote in the Diet would decide between his claims and those of his competitor, Earl Richard of Cornwall. De Gâtinais chaffered fairly; he had a vote, Alphonso had a sister. So that, in effect—ohé, in effect, he made no question that his Majesty6 understood!
The Astronomer7 twitched8 his beard and demanded if the fact that Ellinor had been a married woman these ten years past was not an obstacle to the plan which his fair cousin had proposed?
Here the Prince was accoutred cap-à-pie, and hauled out a paper. Dating from Viterbo, Clement9, Bishop10 of Rome, servant to the servants of God, desirous of all health and apostolical blessing11 for his well-beloved son in Christ, stated that a compact between a boy of fifteen and a girl of ten was an affair of no particular moment; and that in consideration of the covenantors never having clapped eyes upon each other since the wedding-day,—even had not the precontract of marriage between the groom’s father and the bride’s mother rendered a consummation of the childish oath an obvious and a most heinous12 enormity,—why, that, in a sentence, and for all his coy verbosity13, the new pontiff was perfectly14 amenable15 to reason.
So in a month it was settled. Alphonso would give his sister to de Gâtinais, and in exchange get the latter’s vote to make Alphonso King of Germany; and Gui Foulques of Sabionetta—now Clement, fourth Pope to assume that name—would annul16 the previous marriage, and in exchange get an armament to serve him against Manfred, the late and troublesome tyrant17 of Sicily and Apulia. The scheme promised to each one of them that which he in particular desired, and messengers were presently sent into Ponthieu.
It is now time we put aside these Castilian matters and speak of other things. In England, Prince Edward had fought, and won, a shrewd battle at Evesham. People said, of course, that such behavior was less in the manner of his nominal19 father, King Henry, than reminiscent of Count Manuel of Poictesme, whose portraits certainly the Prince resembled to an embarrassing extent. Either way, the barons’ power was demolished20, there would be no more internecine21 war; and spurred by the unaccustomed idleness, Prince Edward began to think of the foreign girl he had not seen since the day he wedded22 her. She would be a woman by this, and it was befitting that he claim his wife. He rode with Hawise Bulmer and her baby to Ambresbury, and at the gate of the nunnery they parted, with what agonies are immaterial to this history’s progression; the tale merely tells that, having thus decorously rid himself of his mistress, the Prince went into Lower Picardy alone, riding at adventure as he loved to do, and thus came to Entréchat, where his wife resided with her mother, the Countess Johane.
In a wood near the castle he approached a company of Spaniards, four in number, their horses tethered while these men (Oviedans, as they told him) drank about a great stone which served them for a table. Being thirsty, he asked and was readily accorded hospitality, and these five fell into amicable24 discourse25. One fellow asked his name and business in those parts, and the Prince gave each without hesitancy as he reached for the bottle, and afterward26 dropped it just in time to catch, cannily27, with his naked left hand, the knife-blade with which the rascal28 had dug at the unguarded ribs29. The Prince was astounded30, but he was never a subtle man: here were four knaves31 who, for reasons unexplained—but to them of undoubted cogency—desired his death: manifestly there was here an actionable difference of opinion; so he had his sword out and killed the four of them.
Presently came to him an apple-cheeked boy, habited as a page, who, riding jauntily32 through the forest, lighted upon the Prince, now in bottomless vexation. The lad drew rein33, and his lips outlined a whistle. At his feet were several dead men in various conditions of dismemberment. And seated among them, as if throned upon this boulder34, was a gigantic and florid person, so tall that the heads of few men reached to his shoulder; a person of handsome exterior35, high-featured and blond, having a narrow, small head, and vivid light blue eyes, and the chest of a stallion; a person whose left eyebrow36 had an odd oblique37 droop38, so that the stupendous man appeared to be winking39 the information that he was in jest.
“Fair friend,” said the page. “God give you joy! and why have you converted this forest into a shambles40?”
The Prince told him as much of the half-hour’s action as has been narrated41. “I have perhaps been rather hasty,” he considered, by way of peroration42, “and it vexes43 me that I did not spare, say, one of these lank44 Spaniards, if only long enough to ascertain45 why, in the name of Termagaunt, they should have desired my destruction.”
But midway in his tale the boy had dismounted with a gasp46, and he was now inspecting the features of one carcass. “Felons, my Prince! You have slain47 some eight yards of felony which might have cheated the gallows48 had they got the Princess Ellinor safe to Burgos. Only two days ago this chalk-eyed fellow conveyed to her a letter.”
Prince Edward said, “You appear, lad, to be somewhat overheels in the confidence of my wife.”
Now the boy arose and defiantly49 flung back his head in shrill50 laughter. “Your wife! Oh, God have mercy! Your wife, and for ten years left to her own devices! Why, look you, to-day you and your wife would not know each other were you two brought face to face.”
Prince Edward said, “That is very near the truth.” But, indeed, it was the absolute truth, and as it concerned him was already attested52.
“Sire Edward,” the boy then said, “your wife has wearied of this long waiting till you chose to whistle for her. Last summer the young Prince de Gâtinais came a-wooing—and he is a handsome man.” The page made known all which de Gâtinais and King Alphonso planned, the words jostling as they came in torrents53, but so that one might understand. “I am her page, my lord. I was to follow her. These fellows were to be my escort, were to ward18 off possible pursuit. Cry haro, beau sire! Cry haro, and shout it lustily, for your wife in company with six other knaves is at large between here and Burgos,—that unreasonable54 wife who grew dissatisfied after a mere23 ten years of neglect.”
“I have been remiss55,” the Prince said, and one huge hand strained at his chin; “yes, perhaps I have been remiss. Yet it had appeared to me—But as it is, I bid you mount, my lad!”
The boy demanded, “And to what end?”
“Oy Dieus, messire! have I not slain your escort? Why, in common reason, equity56 demands that I afford you my protection so far as Burgos, messire, just as plainly as equity demands I slay58 de Gâtinais and fetch back my wife to England.”
The page wrung59 exquisite60 hands with a gesture which was but partially61 tinged62 with anguish63, and presently began to laugh. Afterward these two rode southerly, in the direction of Castile.
For it appeared to the intriguing64 little woman a diverting jest that in this fashion her husband should be the promoter of her evasion65. It appeared to her more diverting when in two days’ space she had become fond of him. She found him rather slow of comprehension, and she was humiliated66 by the discovery that not an eyelash of the man was irritated by his wife’s decampment; he considered, to all appearances, that some property of his had been stolen, and he intended, quite without passion, to repossess himself of it, after, of course, punishing the thief.
This troubled the Princess somewhat; and often, riding by her stolid67 husband’s side, the girl’s heart raged at memory of the decade so newly overpast which had kept her always dependent on the charity of this or that ungracious patron—on any one who would take charge of her while the truant68 husband fought out his endless squabbles in England. Slights enough she had borne during the period, and squalor, and physical hunger also she had known, who was the child of a king and a saint.2 But now she rode toward the dear southland; and presently she would be rid of this big man, when he had served her purpose; and afterward she meant to wheedle69 Alphonso, just as she had always wheedled70 him, and later still, she and Etienne would be very happy: in fine, to-morrow was to be a new day.
So these two rode southward, and always Prince Edward found this new page of his—this Miguel de Rueda,—a jolly lad, who whistled and sang inapposite snatches of balladry, without any formal ending or beginning, descanting always with the delicate irrelevancy71 of a bird-trill.
Sang Miguel de Rueda:
“Man’s Love, that leads me day by day
“No love that may the old love slay,
None sweeter than the first.
“Fond heart of mine, that beats so fast
As this or that fair maid trips past,
We viewed the grace of love, at last,
And turned idolater.
“Lad’s Love it was, that in the spring
When all things woke to blossoming
Was as a child that came
Laughing, and filled with wondering,
Nor knowing his own name—”
“And still I would prefer to think,” the big man interrupted, heavily, “that Sicily is not the only allure75. I would prefer to think my wife so beautiful.—And yet, as I remember her, she was nothing extraordinary.”
The Prince continued his unriddling of the scheme hatched in Castile. “When Manfred is driven out of Sicily they will give the throne to de Gâtinais. He intends to get both a kingdom and a handsome wife by this neat affair. And in reason, England must support my Uncle Richard’s claim to the German crown, against El Sabio—Why, my lad, I ride southward to prevent a war that would devastate77 half Europe.”
“You ride southward in the attempt to rob a miserable78 woman of her sole chance of happiness,” Miguel de Rueda estimated.
“That is undeniable, if she loves this thrifty79 Prince, as indeed I do not question my wife does. Yet our happiness here is a trivial matter, whereas war is a great disaster. You have not seen—as I, my little Miguel, have often seen—a man viewing his death-wound with a face of stupid wonder, a bewildered wretch80 in point to die in his lord’s quarrel and understanding never a word of it. Or a woman, say—a woman’s twisted and naked body, the breasts yet horribly heaving, in the red ashes of some village, or the already dripping hoofs81 which will presently crush this body. Well, it is to prevent many such ugly spectacles hereabout that I ride southward.”
“She has only one right,” the Prince retorted; “because it has pleased the Emperor of Heaven to appoint us twain to lofty stations, to entrust83 to us the five talents of the parable84; whence is our debt to Him, being fivefold, so much the greater than that of common persons. Therefore the more is it our sole right, being fivefold, to serve God without faltering85, and therefore is our happiness, or our unhappiness, the more an inconsiderable matter. For, as I have read in the Annals of the Romans—” He launched upon the story of King Pompey and his daughter, whom a certain duke regarded with impure87 and improper88 emotions. “My little Miguel, that ancient king is our Heavenly Father, that only daughter is the rational soul of us, which is here delivered for protection to five soldiers—that is, to the five senses,—to preserve it from the devil, the world, and the flesh. But, alas89! the too-credulous soul, desirous of gazing upon the gaudy90 vapors91 of this world—”
“You whine92 like a canting friar,” the page complained; “and I can assure you that the Lady Ellinor was prompted rather than hindered by her God-given faculties93 of sight and hearing and so on when she fell in love with de Gâtinais. Of you two, he is, beyond any question, the handsomer and the more intelligent man, and it was God who bestowed94 on her sufficient wit to perceive the superiority of de Gâtinais. And what am I to deduce from this?”
The Prince reflected. At last he said: “I have also read in these same Gestes how Seneca mentions that in poisoned bodies, on account of the malignancy and the coldness of the poison, no worm will engender95; but if the body be smitten96 by lightning, in a few days the carcass will abound97 with vermin. My little Miguel, both men and women are at birth empoisoned by sin, and then they produce no worm—that is, no virtue98. But once they are struck with lightning—that is, by the grace of God,—they are astonishingly fruitful in good works.”
The page began to laugh. “You are hopelessly absurd, my Prince, though you will never know it,—and I hate you a little,—and I envy you a great deal.”
“Ah, but,” Prince Edward said, in misapprehension, for the man was never quick-witted,—“but it is not for my own happiness that I ride southward.”
The page then said, “What is her name?”
Prince Edward answered, very fondly, “Hawise.”
“I hate her, too,” said Miguel de Rueda; “and I think that the holy angels alone know how profoundly I envy her.”
In the afternoon of the same day they neared Ruffec, and at the ford57 found three brigands99 ready, two of whom the Prince slew100, and the other fled.
Next night they supped at Manneville, and sat afterward in the little square, tree-chequered, that lay before their inn. Miguel had procured101 a lute51 from the innkeeper, and he strummed idly as these two debated together of great matters; about them was an immeasurable twilight102, moonless, but tempered by many stars, and everywhere they could hear an agreeable whispering of leaves.
“Listen, my Prince,” the boy said: “here is one view of the affair.” And he began to chant, without rhyming, without raising his voice above the pitch of talk, while the lute monotonously103 accompanied his chanting.
Sang Miguel:
“Passeth a little while, and Irus the beggar and Menephtah the high king are at sorry unison104, and Guenevere is a skull105. Multitudinously we tread toward oblivion, as ants hasten toward sugar, and presently Time cometh with his broom. Multitudinously we tread dusty road toward oblivion; but yonder the sun shines upon a grass-plot, converting it into an emerald; and I am aweary of the trodden path.
“Vine-crowned is the fair peril106 that guards the grasses yonder, and her breasts are naked. ‘Vanity of Vanities!’ saith the beloved. But she whom I love seems very far away to-night, though I might be with her if I would. And she may not aid me now, for not even love is all-powerful. She is most dear of created women, and very wise, but she may never understand that at any time one grows aweary of the trodden path.
“At sight of my beloved, love closes over my heart like a flood. For the sake of my beloved I have striven, with a good endeavor, to my tiny uttermost. Pardie, I am not Priam at the head of his army! A little while and I will repent107; to-night I cannot but remember that there are women whose lips are of a livelier tint108, that life is short at best, that wine evokes109 in me some admiration110 for myself, and that I am aweary of the trodden path.
“She is very far from me to-night. Yonder in the Hörselberg they exult111 and make sweet songs, songs which are sweeter, immeasurably sweeter, than this song of mine, but in the trodden path I falter86, for I am tired, tired in every fibre of me, and I am aweary of the trodden path”
Followed a silence. “Ignorance spoke112 there,” the Prince said. “It is the song of a woman, or else of a boy who is very young. Give me the lute, my little Miguel.” And presently the Prince, too, sang.
Sang the Prince:
“I was in a path, and I trod toward the citadel113 of the land’s Seigneur, and on either side were pleasant and forbidden meadows, having various names. And one trod with me who babbled114 of the brooding mountains and of the low-lying and adjacent clouds; of the west wind and of the budding fruit-trees. He debated the significance of these things, and he went astray togather violets, while I walked in the trodden path.”
“He babbled of genial115 wine and of the alert lips of women, of swinging censers and of the serene116 countenances117 of priests, and of the clear, lovely colors of bread and butter, and his heart was troubled by a world profuse118 in beauty. And he leaped a stile to share his allotted119 provision with a dying dog, and afterward, being hungry, a wall to pilfer120 apples, while I walked in the trodden path.
“He babbled of Autumn’s bankruptcy121 and of the age-long lying promises of Spring; and of his own desire to be at rest; and of running waters and of decaying leaves. He babbled of the far-off stars; and he debated whether they were the eyes of God or gases which burned, and he demonstrated, with logic122, that neither existed. At times he stumbled as he stared about him and munched123 his apples, so that he was all bemired, but I walked in the trodden path.
“And the path led to the gateway124 of a citadel, and through the gateway. ‘Let us not enter,’ he said, ‘for the citadel is vacant, and, moreover, I am in profound terror, and, besides, I have not as yet eaten all my apples.’ And he wept aloud, but I was not afraid, for I had walked in the trodden path.”
“My little Miguel, I paint the world as the Eternal Father made it. The laws of the place are written large, so that all may read them; and we know that every road, whether it be my trodden path or some byway through your gayer meadows, yet leads in the end to God. We have our choice,—or to come to Him as a laborer126 comes at evening for the day’s wages fairly earned, or to come as a roisterer haled before the magistrate127.”
“I consider you to be in the right,” the boy said, after a lengthy128 interval129, “although I decline—and decline emphatically—to believe you.”
The Prince laughed. “There spoke Youth,” he said, and he sighed as though he were a patriarch. “But we have sung, we two, the Eternal Tenson of God’s will and of man’s desires. And I claim the prize, my Little Miguel.”
Suddenly the page kissed one huge hand. “You have conquered, my very dull and very glorious Prince. Concerning that Hawise—” But Miguel de Rueda choked. “Oh, I do not understand! and yet in part I understand!” the boy wailed130 in the darkness.
And the Prince laid one hand upon his page’s hair, and smiled in the darkness to note how soft was this hair, since the man was less a fool than at first view you might have taken him to be; and he said:
“One must play the game out fairly, my lad. We are no little people, she and I, the children of many kings, of God’s regents here on earth; and it was never reasonable, my Miguel, that gentlefolk should cheat at their dicing131.”
The same night Miguel de Rueda repeated the prayer which Saint Theophilus made long ago to the Mother of God:
“Dame, je n’ose,
Flors d’aiglentier et lis et rose,
En qui li filz Diex se repose,”
and so on. Or, in other wording: “Hearken, O gracious Lady! thou that art more fair than any flower of the eglantine, more comely132 than the blossoming of the rose or of the lily! thou to whom was confided133 the very Son of God! Harken, for I am afraid! afford counsel to me that am ensnared by Satan and know not what to do! Never will I make an end of praying. O Virgin134 débonnaire! O honored Lady! Thou that wast once a woman—!”
Sang Miguel:
I must adore till all years end
My first love, Heart’s Desire.
“I may not hear men speak of her
To greet her passing-by,
And I, in all her worshipper
Must serve her till I die.
“For I remember: this is she
And stays the maid I may not see
Nor win to, nor forget.”
It was on the following day, near Bazas, that these two encountered Adam de Gourdon, a Provençal knight142, with whom the Prince fought for a long while, without either contestant143 giving way; in consequence a rendezvous144 was fixed145 for the November of that year, and afterward the Prince and de Gourdon parted, highly pleased with each other.
Thus the Prince and his attendant came, in late September, to Mauléon, on the Castilian frontier, and dined there at the Fir Cone146. Three or four lackeys147 were about—some exalted148 person’s retinue149? Prince Edward hazarded to the swart little landlord, as the Prince and Miguel lingered over the remnants of their meal.
Yes, the fellow informed them: the Prince de Gâtinais had lodged there for a whole week, watching the north road, as circumspect150 of all passage as a cat over a mouse-hole. Eh, monseigneur expected some one, doubtless—a lady, it might be,—the gentlefolk had their escapades like every one else. The innkeeper babbled vaguely151, for on a sudden he was very much afraid of his gigantic patron.
“You will show me to his room,” Prince Edward said, with a politeness that was ingratiating.
The host shuddered and obeyed.
Miguel de Rueda, left alone, sat quite silent, his finger-tips drumming upon the table. He rose suddenly and flung back his shoulders, all resolution. On the stairway he passed the black little landlord, who was now in a sad twitter, foreseeing bloodshed. But Miguel de Rueda went on to the room above. The door was ajar. He paused there.
De Gâtinais had risen from his dinner and stood facing the door. He, too, was a blond man and the comeliest152 of his day. And at sight of him awoke in the woman’s heart all the old tenderness; handsome and brave and witty153 she knew him to be, as indeed the whole world knew him to be distinguished154 by every namable grace; and the innate155 weakness of de Gâtinais, which she alone suspected, made him now seem doubly dear. Fiercely she wanted to shield him, less from bodily hurt than from that self-degradation which she cloudily apprehended156 to be at hand; the test was come, and Etienne would fail. Thus much she knew with a sick, illimitable surety, and she loved de Gâtinais with a passion which dwarfed157 comprehension.
“O Madame the Virgin!” prayed Miguel de Rueda, “thou that wast once a woman, even as I am now a woman! grant that the man may slay him quickly! grant that he may slay Etienne very quickly, honored Lady, so that my Etienne may die unshamed!”
“I must question, messire,” de Gâtinais was saying, “whether you have been well inspired. Yes, quite frankly158, I do await the arrival of her who is your nominal wife; and your intervention159 at this late stage, I take it, can have no outcome save to render you absurd. So, come now! be advised by me, messire—”
Prince Edward said, “I am not here to talk.”
“—For, messire, I grant you that in ordinary disputation the cutting of one gentleman’s throat by another gentleman is well enough, since the argument is unanswerable. Yet in this case we have each of us too much to live for; you to govern your reconquered England, and I—you perceive that I am candid160—to achieve in turn the kingship of another realm. Now to secure this realm, possession of the Lady Ellinor is to me essential; to you she is nothing.”
“She is a woman whom I have deeply wronged,” Prince Edward said, “and to whom, God willing, I mean to make atonement. Ten years ago they wedded us, willy-nilly, to avert161 the impending162 war between Spain and England; to-day El Sabio intends to purchase Germany with her body as the price; you to get Sicily as her husband. Mort de Dieu! is a woman thus to be bought and sold like hog’s flesh! We have other and cleaner customs, we of England.”
“Eh, and who purchased the woman first?” de Gâtinais spat163 at him, viciously, for the Frenchman now saw his air-castle shaken to the corner-stone.
“They wedded me to the child in order that a great war might be averted164. I acquiesced165, since it appeared preferable that two people suffer inconvenience rather than many thousands be slain. And still this is my view of the matter. Yet afterward I failed her. Love had no clause in our agreement; but I owed her more protection than I have afforded. England has long been no place for women. I thought she would comprehend that much. But I know very little of women. Battle and death are more wholesome166 companions, I now perceive, than such folk as you and Alphonso. Woman is the weaker vessel—the negligence167 was mine—I may not blame her.” The big and simple man was in an agony of repentance168.
On a sudden he strode forward, his sword now shifted to his left hand and his right hand outstretched. “One and all, we are weaklings in the net of circumstance. Shall one herring, then, blame his fellow if his fellow jostle him? We walk as in a mist of error, and Belial is fertile in allurements169; yet always it is granted us to behold170 that sin is sin. I have perhaps sinned through anger, Messire de Gâtinais, more deeply than you have planned to sin through luxury and through ambition. Let us then cry quits, Messire de Gâtinais, and afterward part in peace, and in common repentance.”
“And yield you Ellinor?” de Gâtinais said. “Oh no, messire, I reply to you with Arnaud de Marveil, that marvellous singer of eld, ‘They may bear her from my presence, but they can never untie171 the knot which unites my heart to her; for that heart, so tender and so constant, God alone divides with my lady, and the portion which God possesses He holds but as a part of her domain172, and as her vassal173.’” “This is blasphemy,” Prince Edward now retorted, “and for such observations alone you merit death. Will you always talk and talk and talk? I perceive that the devil is far more subtle than you, messire, and leads you, like a pig with a ring in his nose, toward gross iniquity174. Messire, I tell you that for your soul’s health I doubly mean to kill you now. So let us make an end of this.”
De Gâtinais turned and took up his sword. “Since you will have it,” he rather regretfully said; “yet I reiterate175 that you play an absurd part. Your wife has deserted176 you, has fled in abhorrence177 of you. For three weeks she has been tramping God knows whither or in what company—”
He was here interrupted. “What the Lady Ellinor has done,” Prince Edward crisply said, “was at my request. We were wedded at Burgos; it was natural that we should desire our reunion to take place at Burgos; and she came to Burgos with an escort which I provided.”
“After I have slain you,” the Prince said, “yes.”
“The reservation is wise. For if I were dead, Messire Edward, there would be none to know that you risk all for a drained goblet179, for an orange already squeezed—quite dry, messire.”
“Face of God!” the Prince said.
But de Gâtinais flung back both arms in a great gesture, so that he knocked a flask180 of claret from the table at his rear. “I am candid, my Prince. I would not see any brave gentleman slain in a cause so foolish. In consequence I kiss and tell. In effect, I was eloquent181, I was magnificent, so that in the end her reserve was shattered like the wooden flask yonder at our feet. Is it worth while, think you, that our blood flow like this flagon’s contents?”
“Liar182!” Prince Edward said, very softly. “O hideous183 liar! Already your eyes shift!” He drew near and struck the Frenchman. “Talk and talk and talk! and lying talk! I am ashamed while I share the world with a thing as base as you.”
De Gâtinais hurled184 upon him, cursing, sobbing185 in an abandoned fury. In an instant the place resounded186 like a smithy, for there were no better swordsmen living than these two. The eavesdropper187 could see nothing clearly. Round and round they veered188 in a whirl of turmoil189. Presently Prince Edward trod upon the broken flask, smashing it. His foot slipped in the spilth of wine, and the huge body went down like an oak, his head striking one leg of the table.
“A candle!” de Gâtinais cried, and he panted now—“a hundred candles to the Virgin of Beaujolais!” He shortened his sword to stab the Prince of England.
The eavesdropper came through the doorway190, and flung herself between Prince Edward and the descending191 sword. The sword dug deep into her shoulder, so that she shrieked192 once with the cold pain of this wound. Then she rose, ashen193. “Liar!” she said. “Oh, I am shamed while I share the world with a thing as base as you!”
In silence de Gâtinais regarded her. There was a long interval before he said, “Ellinor!” and then again, “Ellinor!” like a man bewildered.
“I was eloquent, I was magnificent” she said, “so that in the end her reserve was shattered! Certainly, messire, it is not your death which I desire, since a man dies so very, very quickly. I desire for you—I know not what I desire for you!” the girl wailed.
“You desire that I should endure this present moment,” de Gâtinais replied; “for as God reigns, I love you, of whom I have spoken infamy194, and my shame is very bitter.”
She said: “And I, too, loved you. It is strange to think of that.”
“I was afraid. Never in my life have I been afraid before to-day. But I was afraid of this terrible and fair and righteous man. I saw all hope of you vanish, all hope of Sicily—in effect, I lied as a cornered beast spits out his venom195.”
“I know,” she answered. “Give me water, Etienne.” She washed and bound the Prince’s head with a vinegar-soaked napkin. Ellinor sat upon the floor, the big man’s head upon her knee. “He will not die of this, for he is of strong person. Look you, Messire de Gâtinais, you and I are not strong. We are so fashioned that we can enjoy only the pleasant things of life. But this man can enjoy—enjoy, mark you—the commission of any act, however distasteful, if he think it to be his duty. There is the difference. I cannot fathom196 him. But it is now necessary that I become all which he loves—since he loves it,—and that I be in thought and deed all which he desires. For I have heard the Tenson through.”
“You love him!” said de Gâtinais.
She glanced upward with a pitiable smile. “No, it is you whom I love, my Etienne. You cannot understand how at this very moment every fibre of me—heart, soul, and body—may be longing197 just to comfort you, and to give you all which you desire, my Etienne, and to make you happy, my handsome Etienne, at however dear a cost. No; you will never understand that. And since you may not understand, I merely bid you go and leave me with my husband.”
And then there fell between these two an infinite silence.
“Listen,” de Gâtinais said; “grant me some little credit for what I do. You are alone; the man is powerless. My fellows are within call. A word secures the Prince’s death; a word gets me you and Sicily. And I do not speak that word, for you are my lady as well as his, and your will is my one law.”
But there was no mercy in the girl, no more for him than for herself. The big head lay upon her breast; she caressed198 the gross hair of it ever so lightly. “These are tinsel oaths,” she crooned, as if rapt with incurious content; “these are the old empty protestations of all you strutting199 poets. A word gets you what you desire! Then why do you not speak that word? Why do you not speak many words, and become again as eloquent and as magnificent as you were when you contrived200 that adultery about which you were just now telling my husband?”
He left the room and presently rode away with his men. I say that, here at last, he had done a knightly202 deed, but she thought little of it, never raised her head as the troop clattered203 from Mauléon, with a lessening204 beat which lapsed205 now into the blunders of an aging fly who doddered about the window yonder.
She stayed thus, motionless, her meditations206 adrift in the future; and that which she foreread left her not all sorry nor profoundly glad, for living seemed by this, though scarcely the merry and colorful business which she had esteemed207 it, yet immeasurably the more worth while.
THE END OF THE SECOND NOVEL
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
lone
|
|
| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
marital
|
|
| adj.婚姻的，夫妻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
lodged
|
|
| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
fabled
|
|
| adj.寓言中的，虚构的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
postscript
|
|
| n.附言，又及；(正文后的)补充说明 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
majesty
|
|
| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
astronomer
|
|
| n.天文学家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
twitched
|
|
| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
clement
|
|
| adj.仁慈的；温和的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
bishop
|
|
| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
blessing
|
|
| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
heinous
|
|
| adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
verbosity
|
|
| n.冗长，赘言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
amenable
|
|
| adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
annul
|
|
| v.宣告…无效，取消，废止 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
tyrant
|
|
| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
ward
|
|
| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
nominal
|
|
| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
demolished
|
|
| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
internecine
|
|
| adj.两败俱伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
wedded
|
|
| adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
amicable
|
|
| adj.和平的，友好的；友善的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
discourse
|
|
| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
cannily
|
|
| 精明地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
rascal
|
|
| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
ribs
|
|
| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
astounded
|
|
| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
knaves
|
|
| n.恶棍，无赖( knave的名词复数 )；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
jauntily
|
|
| adv.心满意足地；洋洋得意地；高兴地；活泼地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
rein
|
|
| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
boulder
|
|
| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
exterior
|
|
| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
eyebrow
|
|
| n.眉毛，眉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
oblique
|
|
| adj.斜的，倾斜的，无诚意的，不坦率的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
droop
|
|
| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
winking
|
|
| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
shambles
|
|
| n.混乱之处；废墟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
narrated
|
|
| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
peroration
|
|
| n.（演说等之）结论 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
vexes
|
|
| v.使烦恼( vex的第三人称单数 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
lank
|
|
| adj.瘦削的；稀疏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
ascertain
|
|
| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
gasp
|
|
| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
slain
|
|
| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
gallows
|
|
| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
defiantly
|
|
| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
lute
|
|
| n.琵琶，鲁特琴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
attested
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
torrents
|
|
| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
unreasonable
|
|
| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
remiss
|
|
| adj.不小心的，马虎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
equity
|
|
| n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
Ford
|
|
| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
slay
|
|
| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
wrung
|
|
| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
partially
|
|
| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
tinged
|
|
| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
anguish
|
|
| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
intriguing
|
|
| adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
evasion
|
|
| n.逃避，偷漏(税) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
humiliated
|
|
| 感到羞愧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
stolid
|
|
| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
truant
|
|
| n.懒惰鬼，旷课者；adj.偷懒的，旷课的，游荡的；v.偷懒，旷课 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
wheedle
|
|
| v.劝诱，哄骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
wheedled
|
|
| v.骗取（某物），哄骗（某人干某事）( wheedle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
irrelevancy
|
|
| n.不恰当，离题，不相干的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
72
scented
|
|
| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
assuage
|
|
| v.缓和，减轻，镇定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
lesser
|
|
| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
allure
|
|
| n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
tartly
|
|
| adv.辛辣地，刻薄地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
devastate
|
|
| v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
thrifty
|
|
| adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
wretch
|
|
| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
hoofs
|
|
| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
shuddered
|
|
| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
entrust
|
|
| v.信赖，信托，交托 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
parable
|
|
| n.寓言，比喻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
faltering
|
|
| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
falter
|
|
| vi.(嗓音)颤抖，结巴地说；犹豫；蹒跚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
impure
|
|
| adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
improper
|
|
| adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
gaudy
|
|
| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
vapors
|
|
| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
whine
|
|
| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
faculties
|
|
| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
bestowed
|
|
| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
engender
|
|
| v.产生，引起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
smitten
|
|
| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
abound
|
|
| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
virtue
|
|
| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
brigands
|
|
| n.土匪，强盗( brigand的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
slew
|
|
| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
procured
|
|
| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
monotonously
|
|
| adv.单调地，无变化地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
unison
|
|
| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
skull
|
|
| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
peril
|
|
| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
repent
|
|
| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
tint
|
|
| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
evokes
|
|
| 产生，引起，唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
admiration
|
|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
exult
|
|
| v.狂喜，欢腾；欢欣鼓舞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
citadel
|
|
| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
babbled
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
genial
|
|
| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
serene
|
|
| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
countenances
|
|
| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
profuse
|
|
| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
allotted
|
|
| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
pilfer
|
|
| v.盗，偷，窃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
bankruptcy
|
|
| n.破产；无偿付能力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
logic
|
|
| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
munched
|
|
| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
gateway
|
|
| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
dreary
|
|
| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
laborer
|
|
| n.劳动者，劳工 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
magistrate
|
|
| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
lengthy
|
|
| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
interval
|
|
| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
wailed
|
|
| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
dicing
|
|
| n.掷骰子，（皮革上的）菱形装饰v.将…切成小方块，切成丁（ dice的现在分词 ） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
comely
|
|
| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
confided
|
|
| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
virgin
|
|
| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
defiance
|
|
| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
impend
|
|
| v.迫近，逼近，即将发生 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
fickle
|
|
| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
dwindling
|
|
| adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
vagrant
|
|
| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
reigns
|
|
| n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
fret
|
|
| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
knight
|
|
| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
contestant
|
|
| n.竞争者，参加竞赛者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
rendezvous
|
|
| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
cone
|
|
| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
lackeys
|
|
| n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
exalted
|
|
| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
retinue
|
|
| n.侍从；随员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
circumspect
|
|
| adj.慎重的，谨慎的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
vaguely
|
|
| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
comeliest
|
|
| adj.英俊的，好看的( comely的最高级 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
153
witty
|
|
| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
distinguished
|
|
| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
innate
|
|
| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
apprehended
|
|
| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
dwarfed
|
|
| vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
frankly
|
|
| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
intervention
|
|
| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
candid
|
|
| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
avert
|
|
| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
impending
|
|
| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
averted
|
|
| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
acquiesced
|
|
| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
wholesome
|
|
| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
negligence
|
|
| n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
repentance
|
|
| n.懊悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
allurements
|
|
| n.诱惑( allurement的名词复数 )；吸引；诱惑物；有诱惑力的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
behold
|
|
| v.看，注视，看到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
untie
|
|
| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
domain
|
|
| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
vassal
|
|
| n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
iniquity
|
|
| n.邪恶；不公正 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
reiterate
|
|
| v.重申，反复地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
abhorrence
|
|
| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
sneered
|
|
| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
goblet
|
|
| n.高脚酒杯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
flask
|
|
| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
eloquent
|
|
| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
liar
|
|
| n.说谎的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
hideous
|
|
| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
sobbing
|
|
| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
resounded
|
|
| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
eavesdropper
|
|
| 偷听者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
veered
|
|
| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
turmoil
|
|
| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
descending
|
|
| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
shrieked
|
|
| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
ashen
|
|
| adj.灰的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
infamy
|
|
| n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
venom
|
|
| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
fathom
|
|
| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
caressed
|
|
| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
strutting
|
|
| 加固，支撑物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
contrived
|
|
| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
clenched
|
|
| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
knightly
|
|
| adj. 骑士般的 adv. 骑士般地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
clattered
|
|
| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
lessening
|
|
| 减轻，减少，变小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
meditations
|
|
| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
207
esteemed
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |