Chapter 1

 

I

 

"The idea," said the Baroness¹, "is preposterous²!"

 

"Admirably put!" cried the Grand Duke. "We will execute it, then, the first thing in the morning."

 

"—and, besides, one could take only a portmanteau—"

 

"And the capacity of a portmanteau is limited," his Highness agreed. "Nay³, I can assure you, after I had packed my coronet this evening there was hardly room for a change of linen⁴. And I found it necessary to choose between the sceptre and a tooth-brush."

 

"Ah, Highness" sighed the Baroness von Altenburg, "will you never be serious? You plan to throw away a duchy, and in the act you jest like a school-boy."

 

"Ma foi!" retorted the Grand Duke, and looked out upon the moonlit gardens; "as a loyal Noumarian, should I not rejoice at the good-fortune which is about to befall my country? Nay, Amalia, morality demands my abdication," he added, virtuously⁵, "and for this once morality and I are in complete accord."

 

The Baroness von Altenburg was not disposed to argue the singularity of any such agreement, the while that she considered Louis de Soyecourt's latest scheme.

 

He had, as prologue⁶ to its elucidation⁷, conducted the Baroness into the summer-house that his grandfather, good Duke Augustus, erected⁸ in the Gardens of Breschau, close to the Fountain of the Naiads, and had en tête-à-tête explained his notion. There were post-horses in Noumaria; there was also an unobstructed road that led you to Vienna, and thence to the world outside; and he proposed, in short, to quiet the grumbling⁹ of the discontented Noumarians by a second, and this time a final, vanishment from office and the general eye. He submitted that the Baroness, as a patriot¹¹, could not fail to weigh the inestimable benefit which would thus accrue¹² to her native land.

 

Yet he stipulated¹³ that his exit from public life should be made in company with the latest lady on whom he had bestowed¹⁴ his variable affections; and remembering this proviso, the Baroness, without exactly encouraging or disencouraging his scheme, was at least not prone¹⁵ to insist on coupling him with morality.

 

She contented¹⁰ herself with a truism. "Indeed, your Highness, the example you set your subjects is atrocious."

 

"And yet they complain!" said the Grand Duke,—"though I swear to you I have always done the things I ought not to have done, and have left unread the papers I have signed. What more, in reason, can one ask of a grand duke?"

 

"You are indolent—" remonstrated¹⁶ the lady.

 

"You—since we attempt the descriptive," said his Highness,—"are adorable."

 

"—and that injures your popularity—"

 

"Which, by the way, vanished with my waist."

 

"—and moreover you create scandals—"

 

"'The woman tempted¹⁷ me,'" quoted the Grand Duke; and added, reflectively,

"Amalia, it is very singular—"

 

"Nay, I am afraid," the Baroness lamented¹⁹, "it is rather notoriously plural²⁰."

 

But the Grand Duke waved a dignified²¹ dissent²², and continued, "—that I could never resist green eyes of a peculiar²³ shade."

 

The Baroness, becoming vastly interested in the structure of her fan, went on, with some severity, "Your reputation—"

 

"De mortuis—" pleaded the Grand Duke.

 

"—is bad; and you go from bad to worse."

 

"By no means," said his Highness, "since when I was nineteen—"

 

"I will not believe it even of you!" cried the Baroness von Altenburg.

 

"I assure you," his Highness protested, gravely, "I was then a devil of a fellow! She was only twenty, and she, too, had big green eyes—"

 

"And by this late period," said the lady, "has in addition an infinity²⁴ of grandchildren."

 

"I happen to be barely forty!" the Grand Duke said, with dignity.

 

"In which event the Almanachen dating, say, from 1710—"

 

"Are not unmarred by an occasional misprint. Truly I lament¹⁸ the ways of all typographers, and I will explain the cause of their depravity, in Vienna."

 

"But I am not going to Vienna."

 

"'And Sapphira,'" murmured his Highness, "'fell down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost!' So beware, Amalia!"

 

"I am not afraid, your Highness,—"

 

"Nor in effect am I. Then we will let Europe frown and journalists moralize, while we two gallop²⁵ forward on the road that leads to Vienna and heaven?"

 

"Or—" the Baroness helpfully suggested.

 

"There is in this case no possible 'or.' Once out of Noumaria, we leave all things behind save happiness."

 

"Among these trifles, your Highness, is a duchy."

 

"Hein?" said the Grand Duke; "what is it? A mere²⁶ dot on the map, a pawn²⁷ in the game of politics. I give up the pawn and take—the queen."

 

"That is unwise," said the Baroness, with composure, "and, besides, you are hurting my hand. Apropos²⁸ of the queen—the Grand Duchess—"

 

"Will heartily²⁹ thank God for her deliverance. She will renounce³⁰ me before the world, and in secret almost worship me for my consideration."

 

"Yet a true woman," said the Baroness, oracularly, "will follow a husband—"

 

"Till his wife makes her stop," said the little Grand Duke, his tone implying that he knew whereof he spoke³¹.

 

"—and if the Grand Duchess loved you—"

 

"Oh, I think she would never mention it," said the Grand Duke, revolving³² in his mind this novel idea. "She has a great regard for appearances."

 

"Nevertheless—"

 

"She will be Regent"—and the Grand Duke chuckled³³. "I can see her now,—St. Elizabeth, with a dash of Boadicea. Noumaria will be a pantheon of the virtues³⁴, and my children will be reared on moral aphorisms³⁶ and rational food, with me as a handy example of everything they should avoid. Deuce take it, Amalia," he added, "a father must in common decency³⁷ furnish an example to his children!"

 

"Pray," asked the Baroness, "do you owe it to your children, then, to take this trip to Vienna—"

 

"Ma foi!" retorted the Grand Duke, "I owe that to myself."

 

"—and thereby³⁸ break the Grand Duchess' heart?"

 

"Indeed," observed his Highness, "you appear strangely deep in the confidence of my wife."

 

Again the Baroness descended³⁹ to aphorism³⁵. "All women are alike, your

Highness."

 

"Ah, ah! Well, I have heard," said the Grand Duke, "that seven devils were cast out of Magdalene—"

 

"Which means—?"

 

"I have never heard of this being done to any other woman. Accordingly I deduce that in all other women must remain—"

 

"Beware, your Highness, of the crudeness of cynicism!"

 

"I age," complained the Grand Duke, "and one reaches years of indiscretion so early in the forties."

 

"You admit, then, discretion⁴⁰ is desirable?"

 

"I admit that," his Highness said, with firmness, "of you alone."

 

"Am I, in truth," queried⁴¹ the Baroness, "desirable?" And in this patch of moonlight she looked incredibly so.

 

"More than that," said the Grand Duke—"you are dangerous. You are a menace to the peace of my Court. The young men make sonnets⁴² to your eyes, and the ladies are ready to tear them out. You corrupt⁴³ us, one and all. There is de Châteauroux now—"

 

"I assure you," protested the Baroness, "Monsieur de Châteauroux is not the sort of person—"

 

"But at twenty-five," the Grand Duke interrupted, "one is invariably that sort of person."

 

"Phrases, your Highness!"

 

"Phrases or not, it is decided⁴⁴. You shall make no more bad poets."

 

"You will," said the Baroness, "put me to a vast expense for curl-papers."

 

"You shall ensnare no more admirers."

 

"My milliner will be inconsolable."

 

"In short, you must leave Noumaria—"

 

"You condemn⁴⁵ me to an exile's life of misery⁴⁶!"

 

"Well, then, since misery loves company, I will go with you. For we should never forget," his Highness added, with considerable kindliness⁴⁷, "always to temper justice with mercy. So I have ordered a carriage to be ready at dawn."

 

The Baroness reflected; the plump little Grand Duke smiled. And he had reason, for there was about this slim white woman—whose eyes were colossal⁴⁸ emeralds, and in show equivalently heatless, if not in effect,—so much of the baroque that in meditation⁴⁹ she appeared some prentice queen of Faëry dubious⁵⁰ as to her incantations. Now, though, she had it—the mislaid abracadabra⁵¹.

 

"I knew that I had some obstacle in mind—Thou shalt not commit adultery.

No, your Highness, I will not go."

 

"Remember Sapphira," said the Grand Duke, "recall Herodias who fared happily in all things, and by no means forget the portmanteau."

 

"I have not the least intention of going—" the Baroness iterated, firmly.

 

"Nor would I ever suspect you of harboring such a thought. Still, a portmanteau, in case of an emergency—"

 

"—although—"

 

"Why, exactly."

 

"—although I am told the sunrise is very beautiful from the Gardens of Breschau."

 

"It is well worth seeing," agreed the Grand Duke, "on certain days—particularly on Thursdays. The gardeners make a specialty⁵² of them on Thursdays."

 

"By a curious chance," the Baroness murmured, "this is Wednesday."

 

"Indeed," said the Grand Duke, "now you mention it, I believe it is."

 

"And I shall be here, on your Highness' recommendation, to see the sunrise—"

 

"Of course," said the Grand Duke, "to see the sunrise,—but with a portmanteau!"

 

The Baroness was silent.

 

"With a portmanteau," entreated⁵³ the Grand Duke. "I am a connoisseur⁵⁴ of portmanteaux. Say that I may see yours, Amalia."

 

The Baroness was silent.

 

"Say yes, Amalia. For to the student of etymology⁵⁵ the very word portmanteau—"

 

The Baroness bent⁵⁶ toward him and said:

 

"I am sorry to inform your Highness that there is some one at the door of the summer-house."

 

1 baroness   

n.男爵夫人，女男爵

参考例句：

• I'm sure the Baroness will be able to make things fine for you.我相信男爵夫人能够把家里的事替你安排妥当的。
• The baroness,who had signed,returned the pen to the notary.男爵夫人这时已签过字，把笔交回给律师。

2 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

3 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

4 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

5 virtuously   

合乎道德地，善良地

参考例句：

• Pro31:29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 箴31:29说，才德的女子很多，惟独你超过一切。

6 prologue   

n.开场白，序言；开端，序幕

参考例句：

• A poor wedding is a prologue to misery.不幸的婚姻是痛苦的开始。
• The prologue to the novel is written in the form of a newspaper account.这本小说的序言是以报纸报道的形式写的。

7 elucidation   

n.说明，阐明

参考例句：

• The advertising copy is the elucidation text,which must be written according to the formula of AIDA. 文案是说明文，应基本遵照AIDA公式来写作。 来自互联网
• Fourth, a worm hole, elucidation space-time can stretch, compression, rent, also is deduced time-travel this idea. 第四，有了虫洞，就说明时空可以被拉伸、压缩、撕裂，也就推导出了时空旅行这个想法。 来自互联网

8 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

9 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

10 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

11 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

12 accrue   

v.(利息等)增大，增多

参考例句：

• Ability to think will accrue to you from good habits of study.思考能力将因良好的学习习惯而自然增强。
• Money deposited in banks will accrue to us with interest.钱存在银行，利息自生。

13 stipulated   

vt.& vi.规定；约定adj.[法]合同规定的

参考例句：

• A delivery date is stipulated in the contract. 合同中规定了交货日期。
• Yes, I think that's what we stipulated. 对呀，我想那是我们所订定的。 来自辞典例句

14 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

15 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

16 remonstrated   

v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫

参考例句：

• They remonstrated with the official about the decision. 他们就这一决定向这位官员提出了抗议。
• We remonstrated against the ill-treatment of prisoners of war. 我们对虐待战俘之事提出抗议。 来自辞典例句

17 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

18 lament   

n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹

参考例句：

• Her face showed lament.她的脸上露出悲伤的样子。
• We lament the dead.我们哀悼死者。

19 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

21 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

22 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

23 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

24 infinity   

n.无限，无穷，大量

参考例句：

• It is impossible to count up to infinity.不可能数到无穷大。
• Theoretically,a line can extend into infinity.从理论上来说直线可以无限地延伸。

25 gallop   

v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展

参考例句：

• They are coming at a gallop towards us.他们正朝着我们飞跑过来。
• The horse slowed to a walk after its long gallop.那匹马跑了一大阵后慢下来缓步而行。

26 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

27 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

28 apropos   

adv.恰好地；adj.恰当的；关于

参考例句：

• I thought he spoke very apropos.我认为他说得很中肯。
• He arrived very apropos.他来得很及时。

29 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

30 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

31 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：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

32 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

33 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

34 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

35 aphorism   

n.格言，警语

参考例句：

• It is the aphorism of the Asian Games. 这是亚运会的格言。
• Probably the aphorism that there is no easy answer to what is very complex is true. 常言道,复杂的问题无简易的答案,这话大概是真的。

36 aphorisms   

格言，警句( aphorism的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He formulated trenchant aphorisms that caught their attention. 他阐述的鲜明格言引起了人们的注意。
• The aphorisms started following like water as all the old cliches got dusted off. 一些陈词滥调象尘土一样扬起，一些格言警句象洪水一样到处泛滥。

37 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

38 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

39 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

40 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

41 queried   

v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问

参考例句：

• She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

42 sonnets   

n.十四行诗( sonnet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Keats' reputation as a great poet rests largely upon the odes and the later sonnets. 作为一个伟大的诗人，济慈的声誉大部分建立在他写的长诗和后期的十四行诗上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He referred to the manuscript circulation of the sonnets. 他谈到了十四行诗手稿的流行情况。 来自辞典例句

43 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

44 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

45 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

46 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

47 kindliness   

n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为

参考例句：

• Martha looked up into a strange face and dark eyes alight with kindliness and concern. 马撒慢慢抬起头，映入眼帘的是张陌生的脸，脸上有一双充满慈爱和关注的眼睛。 来自辞典例句
• I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. 我想，我对伯顿印象最深之处主要还是这个人的和善。 来自辞典例句

48 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

49 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

50 dubious   

adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
• He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

51 abracadabra   

n.咒语，胡言乱语

参考例句：

• "Abracadabra," said the conjuror as he pulled the rabbit from the hat.魔术师囗中念念有词，把兔子从礼帽中掏了出来。
• The magic word "abracadabra" was originally intended for the specific purpose of curing hay fever.魔力术语“咒语”最初适用于治疗枯草热的特殊目的。

52 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

53 entreated   

恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They entreated and threatened, but all this seemed of no avail. 他们时而恳求，时而威胁，但这一切看来都没有用。
• 'One word,' the Doctor entreated. 'Will you tell me who denounced him?' “还有一个问题，”医生请求道，“你可否告诉我是谁告发他的？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

54 connoisseur   

n.鉴赏家，行家，内行

参考例句：

• Only the real connoisseur could tell the difference between these two wines.只有真正的内行才能指出这两种酒的区别。
• We are looking for a connoisseur of French champagne.我们想找一位法国香槟酒品酒专家。

55 etymology   

n.语源；字源学

参考例句：

• The hippies' etymology is contentious.关于嬉皮士的语源是有争议的。
• The origin of OK became the Holy Grail of etymology.OK的出典成了词源学梦寐以求的圣杯。

56 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。