The night was falling. From the grey heaven, where the first of the stars were gleaming, a fine ashy dust seemed to be raining down on the great city, raining down without cessation and slowly burying it. The hollows were already hidden deep in gloom, and a line of cloud, like a stream of ink, rose upon the horizon, engulfing1 the last streaks2 of daylight, the wavering gleams which were retreating towards the west. Below Passy but a few stretches of roofs remained visible; and as the wave rolled on, darkness soon covered all.
"What a warm evening!" ejaculated Helene, as she sat at the window, overcome by the heated breeze which was wafted3 upwards4 from Paris.
"A grateful night for the poor," exclaimed the Abbe, who stood behind her. "The autumn will be mild."
That Tuesday Jeanne had fallen into a doze5 at dessert, and her mother, perceiving that she was rather tired, had put her to bed. She was already fast asleep in her cot, while Monsieur Rambaud sat at the table gravely mending a toy--a mechanical doll, a present from himself, which both spoke6 and walked, and which Jeanne had broken. He excelled in such work as this. Helene on her side feeling the want of fresh air--for the lingering heats of September were oppressive--had thrown the window wide open, and gazed with relief on the vast gloomy ocean of darkness that rolled before her. She had pushed an easy-chair to the window in order to be alone, but was suddenly surprised to hear the Abbe speaking to her. "Is the little one warmly covered?" he gently asked. "On these heights the air is always keen."
She made no reply, however; her heart was craving7 for silence. She was tasting the delights of the twilight8 hour, the vanishing of all surrounding objects, the hushing of every sound. Gleams, like those of night-lights, tipped the steeples and towers; that on Saint-Augustin died out first, the Pantheon for a moment retained a bluish light, and then the glittering dome9 of the Invalides faded away, similar to a moon setting in a rising sea of clouds. The night was like the ocean, its extent seemingly increased by the gloom, a dark abyss wherein you divined that a world lay hid. From the unseen city blew a mighty10 yet gentle wind. There was still a hum; sounds ascended11 faint yet clear to Helene's ears--the sharp rattle12 of an omnibus rolling along the quay13, the whistle of a train crossing the bridge of the Point-du-Jour; and the Seine, swollen14 by the recent storms, and pulsing with the life of a breathing soul, wound with increased breadth through the shadows far below. A warm odor steamed upwards from the scorched15 roofs, while the river, amidst this exhalation of the daytime heat, seemed to give forth16 a cooling breeze. Paris had vanished, sunk in the dreamy repose17 of a colossus whose limbs the night has enveloped18, and who lies motionless for a time, but with eyes wide open.
Nothing affected19 Helene more than this momentary20 pause in the great city's life. For the three months during which she had been a close prisoner, riveted21 to Jeanne's bedside, she had had no other companion in her vigil than the huge mass of Paris spreading out towards the horizon. During the summer heats of July and August the windows had almost always been left open; she could not cross the room, could not stir or turn her head, without catching22 a glimpse of the ever-present panorama23. It was there, whatever the weather, always sharing in her griefs and hopes, like some friend who would never leave her side. She was still quite ignorant respecting it; never had it seemed farther away, never had she given less thought to its streets and its citizens, and yet it peopled her solitude24. The sick-room, whose door was kept shut to the outside world, looked out through its two windows upon this city. Often, with her eyes fixed25 on its expanse, Helene had wept, leaning on the window-rail in order to hide her tears from her ailing26 child. One day, too--the very day when she had imagined her daughter to be at the point of death--she had remained for a long time, overcome and choked with grief, watching the smoke which curled up from the Army Bakehouse. Frequently, moreover, in hours of hopefulness she had here confided28 the gladsome feelings of her heart to the dim and distant suburbs. There was not a single monument which did not recall to her some sensation of joy or sorrow. Paris shared in her own existence; and never did she love it better than when the twilight came, and its day's work over, it surrendered itself to an hour's quietude, forgetfulness, and reverie, whilst waiting for the lighting29 of its gas.
"What a multitude of stars!" murmured Abbe Jouve. "There are thousands of them gleaming."
He had just taken a chair and sat down at her side. On hearing him, she gazed upwards into the summer night. The heaven was studded with golden lights. On the very verge31 of the horizon a constellation32 was sparkling like a carbuncle, while a dust of almost invisible stars sprinkled the vault33 above as though with glittering sand. Charles's-Wain was slowly turning its shaft34 in the night.
"Look!" said Helene in her turn, "look at that tiny bluish star! See --far away up there. I recognize it night after night. But it dies and fades as the night rolls on."
The Abbe's presence no longer annoyed her. With him by her side, she imagined the quiet was deepening around. A few words passed between them after long intervals36 of silence. Twice she questioned him on the names of the stars--the sight of the heavens had always interested her --but he was doubtful and pleaded ignorance.
"On the left, eh?" he replied, "near another smaller, greenish one? Ah! there are so many of them that my memory fails me."
They again lapsed41 into silence, their eyes still turned upwards, dazzled, quivering slightly at the sight of that stupendous swarming42 of luminaries43. In the vast depths of the heavens, behind thousands of stars, thousands of others twinkled in ever-increasing multitudes, with the clear brilliancy of gems44. The Milky45 Way was already whitening, displaying its solar specks46, so innumerable and so distant that in the vault of the firmament47 they form but a trailing scarf of light.
"It fills me with fear," said Helene in a whisper; and that she might see it all no more she bent48 her head and glanced down on the gaping49 abyss in which Paris seemed to be engulfed50. In its depths not a light could yet be seen; night had rolled over it and plunged51 it into impenetrable darkness. Its mighty, continuous rumble52 seemed to have sunk into a softer key.
"Yes," simply answered Helene.
They could not see each other. For a long time she continued weeping, her whole being exhaling55 a plaintive56 murmur30. Behind them, meantime, Jeanne lay at rest in innocent sleep, and Monsieur Rambaud, his whole attention engrossed57, bent his grizzled head over the doll which he had dismembered. At times he could not prevent the loosened springs from giving out a creaking noise, a childlike squeaking58 which his big fingers, though plied39 with the utmost gentleness, drew from the disordered mechanism59. If the doll vented60 too loud a sound, however, he at once stopped working, distressed61 and vexed62 with himself, and turning towards Jeanne to see if he had roused her. Then once more he would resume his repairing, with great precautions, his only tools being a pair of scissors and a bodkin.
"Why do you weep, my daughter?" again asked the Abbe. "Can I not afford you some relief?"
"Ah! let me be," said Helene; "these tears do me good. By-and-by, by-and-by--"
A stifling63 sensation checked any further words. Once before, in this very place, she had been convulsed by a storm of tears; but then she had been alone, free to sob53 in the darkness till the emotion that wrung64 her was dried up at its source. However, she knew of no cause of sorrow; her daughter was well once more, and she had resumed the old monotonous65 delightful66 life. But it was as though a keen sense of awful grief had abruptly67 come upon her; it seemed as if she were rolling into a bottomless abyss which she could not fathom68, sinking with all who were dear to her in a limitless sea of despair. She knew not what misfortune hung over her head; but she was without hope, and could only weep.
Similar waves of feeling had swept over her during the month of the Virgin69 in the church laden70 with the perfume of flowers. And, as twilight fell, the vastness of Paris filled her with a deep religious impression. The stretch of plain seemed to expand, and a sadness rose up from the two millions of living beings who were being engulfed in darkness. And when it was night, and the city with its subdued71 rumbling72 had vanished from view, her oppressed heart poured forth its sorrow, and her tears overflowed73, in presence of that sovereign peace. She could have clasped her hands and prayed. She was filled with an intense craving for faith, love, and a lapse40 into heavenly forgetfulness; and the first glinting of the stars overwhelmed her with sacred terror and enjoyment75.
A lengthy76 interval35 of silence ensued, and then the Abbe spoke once more, this time more pressingly.
She was still weeping, but more gently, like a wearied and powerless child.
"The Church frightens you," he continued. "For a time I thought you had yielded your heart to God. But it has been willed otherwise. Heaven has its own purposes. Well, since you mistrust the priest, why should you refuse to confide in the friend?"
"You are right," she faltered77. "Yes, I am sad at heart, and need your consolation78. I must tell you of it all. When I was a child I seldom, if ever, entered a church; now I cannot be present at a service without feeling touched to the very depths of my being. Yes; and what drew tears from me just now was that voice of Paris, sounding like a mighty organ, that immeasurable night, and those beauteous heavens. Oh! I would fain believe. Help me; teach me."
Abbe Jouve calmed her somewhat by lightly placing his hand on her own.
"Tell me everything," he merely said.
"There's nothing to tell, I assure you. I'm hiding nothing from you. I weep without cause, because I feel stifled80, because my tears gush81 out of their own accord. You know what my life has been. No sorrow, no sin, no remorse82 could I find in it to this hour. I do not know--I do not know--"
Her voice died away, and from the priest's lips slowly came the words, "You love, my daughter!"
She started; she dared not protest. Silence fell on them once more. In the sea of shadows that slumbered83 before them a light had glimmered84 forth. It seemed at their feet, somewhere in the abyss, but at what precise spot they would have been unable to specify85. And then, one by one, other lights broke through the darkness, shooting into instant life, and remaining stationary86, scintillating87 like stars. It seemed as though thousands of fresh planets were rising on the surface of a gloomy lake. Soon they stretched out in double file, starting from the Trocadero, and nimbly leaping towards Paris. Then these files were intersected by others, curves were described, and a huge, strange, magnificent constellation spread out. Helene never breathed a word, but gazed on these gleams of light, which made the heavens seemingly descend88 below the line of the horizon, as though indeed the earth had vanished and the vault of heaven were on every side. And Helene's heart was again flooded with emotion, as a few minutes before when Charles's-Wain had slowly begun to revolve89 round the Polar axis90, its shaft in the air. Paris, studded with lights, stretched out, deep and sad, prompting fearful thoughts of a firmament swarming with unknown worlds.
Meanwhile the priest, in the monotonous, gentle voice which he had acquired by years of duty in the confessional, continued whispering in her ear. One evening in the past he had warned her; solitude, he had said, would be harmful to her welfare. No one could with impunity92 live outside the pale of life. She had imprisoned93 herself too closely, and the door had opened to perilous94 thoughts.
"I am very old now, my daughter," he murmured, "and I have frequently seen women come to us weeping and praying, with a craving to find faith and religion. Thus it is that I cannot be deceiving myself to-day. These women, who seem to seek God in so zealous95 a manner, are but souls rendered miserable96 by passion. It is a man whom they worship in our churches."
She was not listening; a strife97 was raging in her bosom98, amidst her efforts to read her innermost thoughts aright. And at last confession91 came from her in a broken whisper:
"Oh! yes, I love, and that is all! Beyond that I know nothing --nothing!"
He now forbore to interrupt her; she spoke in short feverish99 sentences, taking a mournful pleasure in thus confessing her love, in sharing with that venerable priest the secret which had so long burdened her.
"I swear I cannot read my thoughts. This has come to me without my knowing its presence. Perhaps it came in a moment. Only in time did I realize its sweetness. Besides, why should I deem myself stronger than I am? I have made no effort to flee from it; I was only too happy, and to-day I have yet less power of resistance. My daughter was ill; I almost lost her. Well! my love has been as intense as my sorrow; it came back with sovereign power after those days of terror--and it possesses me, I feel transported--"
She shivered and drew a breath.
"In short, my strength fails me. You were right, my friend, in thinking it would be a relief to confide in you. But, I beseech100 you, tell me what is happening in the depths of my heart. My life was once so peaceful; I was so happy. A thunderbolt has fallen on me. Why on me? Why not on another? I had done nothing to bring it on; I imagined myself well protected. Ah, if you only knew--I know myself no longer! Help me, save me!"
Then as she became silent, the priest, with the wonted freedom of the confessor, mechanically asked the question:
"The name? tell me his name?"
She was hesitating, when a peculiar101 noise prompted her to turn her head. It came from the doll which, in Monsieur Rambaud's hands, was by degrees renewing its mechanical life, and had just taken three steps on the table, with a creaking of wheels and springs which showed that there was still something faulty in its works. Then it had fallen on its back, and but for the worthy102 man would have rebounded103 onto the ground. He followed all its movements with outstretched hands, ready to support it, and full of paternal104 anxiety. The moment he perceived Helene turn, he smiled confidently towards her, as if to give her an assurance that the doll would recover its walking powers. And then he once more dived with scissors and bodkin into the toy. Jeanne still slept on.
Thereupon Helene, her nerves relaxing under the influence of the universal quiet, whispered a name in the priest's ear. He never stirred; in the darkness his face could not be seen. A silence ensued, and he responded:
"I knew it, but I wanted to hear it from your own lips. My daughter, yours must be terrible suffering."
He gave utterance105 to no truisms on the subject of duty. Helene, overcome, saddened to the heart by this unemotional pity, gazed once more on the lights which spangled the gloomy veil enshrouding Paris. They were flashing everywhere in myriads107, like the sparks that dart108 over the blackened refuse of burnt paper. At first these twinkling dots had started from the Trocadero towards the heart of the city. Soon another coruscation109 had appeared on the left in the direction of Montmartre; then another had burst into view on the right behind the Invalides, and still another, more distant near the Pantheon. From all these centres flights of flames were simultaneously110 descending111.
"You remember our conversation," slowly resumed the Abbe. "My opinion has not changed. My daughter, you must marry."
"I!" she exclaimed, overwhelmed with amazement112. "But I have just confessed to you--Oh, you know well I cannot--"
Within the folds of his old cassock he seemed to have grown more commanding. His large comical-looking head, which, with eyes half-closed, was usually inclined towards one shoulder, was now raised erect113, and his eyes beamed with such intensity114 that she saw them sparkling in the darkness.
"You will marry an honest man, who will be a father to Jeanne, and will lead you back to the path of goodness."
"But I do not love him. Gracious Heaven! I do not love him!"
"You will love him, my daughter. He loves you, and he is good in heart."
Helene struggled, and her voice sank to a whisper as she heard the slight noise that Monsieur Rambaud made behind them. He was so patient and so strong in his hope, that for six months he had not once intruded115 his love on her. Disposed by nature to the most heroic self-sacrifice, he waited in serene116 confidence. The Abbe stirred, as though about to turn round.
"Would you like me to tell him everything? He would stretch out his hand and save you. And you would fill him with joy beyond compare."
She checked him, utterly117 distracted. Her heart revolted. Both of these peaceful, affectionate men, whose judgment118 retained perfect equilibrium119 in presence of her feverish passion, were sources of terror to her. What world could they abide120 in to be able to set at naught121 that which caused her so much agony? The priest, however, waved his hand with an all-comprehensive gesture.
"My daughter," said he, "look on this lovely night, so supremely122 still in presence of your troubled spirit. Why do you refuse happiness?"
All Paris was now illumined. The tiny dancing flames had speckled the sea of shadows from one end of the horizon to the other, and now, as in a summer night, millions of fixed stars seemed to be serenely123 gleaming there. Not a puff124 of air, not a quiver of the atmosphere stirred these lights, to all appearance suspended in space. Paris, now invisible, had fallen into the depths of an abyss as vast as a firmament. At times, at the base of the Trocadero, a light--the lamp of a passing cab or omnibus--would dart across the gloom, sparkling like a shooting star; and here amidst the radiance of the gas-jets, from which streamed a yellow haze125, a confused jumble126 of house-fronts and clustering trees--green like the trees in stage scenery--could be vaguely127 discerned. To and fro, across the Pont des Invalides, gleaming lights flashed without ceasing; far below, across a band of denser128 gloom, appeared a marvellous train of comet-like coruscations, from whose lustrous129 tails fell a rain of gold. These were the reflections in the Seine's black waters of the lamps on the bridge. From this point, however, the unknown began. The long curve of the river was merely described by a double line of lights, which ever and anon were coupled to other transverse lines, so that the whole looked like some glittering ladder, thrown across Paris, with its ends on the verge of the heavens among the stars.
To the left there was another trench130 excavated131 athwart the gloom; an unbroken chain of stars shone forth down the Champs-Elysees from the Arc-de-Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, where a new cluster of Pleiades was flashing; next came the gloomy stretches of the Tuileries and the Louvre, the blocks of houses on the brink132 of the water, and the Hotel-de-Ville away at the extreme end--all these masses of darkness being parted here and there by bursts of light from some large square or other; and farther and farther away, amidst the endless confusion of roofs, appeared scattered133 gleams, affording faint glimpses of the hollow of a street below, the corner of some boulevard, or the brilliantly illuminated134 meeting-place of several thoroughfares. On the opposite bank, on the right, the Esplanade alone could be discerned with any distinctness, its rectangle marked out in flame, like an Orion of a winter's night bereft135 of his baldrick. The long streets of the Saint-Germain district seemed gloomy with their fringe of infrequent lamps; but the thickly populated quarters beyond were speckled with a multitude of tiny flames, clustering like nebulae. Away towards the outskirts136, girdling the whole of the horizon, swarmed137 street-lamps and lighted windows, filling these distant parts with a dust, as it were, of those myriads of suns, those planetary atoms which the naked eye cannot discover. The public edifices138 had vanished into the depths of the darkness; not a lamp marked out their spires139 and towers. At times you might have imagined you were gazing on some gigantic festival, some illuminated cyclopean monument, with staircases, balusters, windows, pediments, and terraces --a veritable cosmos140 of stone, whose wondrous141 architecture was outlined by the gleaming lights of a myriad106 lamps. But there was always a speedy return of the feeling that new constellations142 were springing into being, and that the heavens were spreading both above and below.
Helene, in compliance143 with the all-embracing sweep of the priest's hand, cast a lingering look over illumined Paris. Here too she knew not the names of those seeming stars. She would have liked to ask what the blaze far below on the left betokened144, for she saw it night after night. There were others also which roused her curiosity, and some of them she loved, whilst some inspired her with uneasiness or vexation.
"Father," said she, for the first time employing that appellation145 of affection and respect, "let me live as I am. The loveliness of the night has agitated146 me. You are wrong; you would not know how to console me, for you cannot understand my feelings."
The priest stretched out his arms, then slowly dropped them to his side resignedly. And after a pause he said in a whisper:
"Doubtless that was bound to be the case. You call for succor147 and reject salvation148. How many despairing confessions149 I have received! What tears I have been unable to prevent! Listen, my daughter, promise me one thing only; if ever life should become too heavy a burden for you, think that one honest man loves you and is waiting for you. To regain150 content you will only have to place your hand in his."
"I promise you," answered Helene gravely.
As she made the avowal151 a ripple152 of laughter burst through the room. Jeanne had just awoke, and her eyes were riveted on her doll pacing up and down the table. Monsieur Rambaud, enthusiastic over the success of his tinkering, still kept his hands stretched out for fear lest any accident should happen. But the doll retained its stability, strutted153 about on its tiny feet, and turned its head, whilst at every step repeating the same words after the fashion of a parrot.
"Oh! it's some trick or other!" murmured Jeanne, who was still half asleep. "What have you done to it--tell me? It was all smashed, and now it's walking. Give it me a moment; let me see. Oh, you _are_ a darling!"
Meanwhile over the gleaming expanse of Paris a rosy154 cloud was ascending155 higher and higher. It might have been thought the fiery156 breath of a furnace. At first it was shadowy-pale in the darkness--a reflected glow scarcely seen. Then slowly, as the evening progressed, it assumed a ruddier hue157; and, hanging in the air, motionless above the city, deriving158 its being from all the lights and noisy life which breathed from below, it seemed like one of those clouds, charged with flame and lightning, which crown the craters159 of volcanoes.
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1
engulfing
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| adj.吞噬的v.吞没，包住( engulf的现在分词 ) | |
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2
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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3
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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6
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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8
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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13
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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14
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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15
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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ailing
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| v.生病 | |
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confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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confided
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| 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） | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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constellation
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| n.星座n.灿烂的一群 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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35
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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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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41
lapsed
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| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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42
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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43
luminaries
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| n.杰出人物，名人（luminary的复数形式） | |
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gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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45
milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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47
firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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48
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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49
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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50
engulfed
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| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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52
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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53
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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54
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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55
exhaling
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的现在分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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56
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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57
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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58
squeaking
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的现在分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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59
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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60
vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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62
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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63
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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64
wrung
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| 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） | |
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65
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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66
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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67
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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68
fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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69
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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71
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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72
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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73
overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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74
wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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75
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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76
lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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77
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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78
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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79
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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80
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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81
gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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82
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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83
slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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84
glimmered
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| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
specify
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| vt.指定，详细说明 | |
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86
stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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87
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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88
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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89
revolve
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| vi.(使)旋转；循环出现 | |
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90
axis
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| n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线 | |
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91
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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92
impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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93
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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94
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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95
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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96
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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97
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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98
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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99
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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100
beseech
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| v.祈求，恳求 | |
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101
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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102
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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103
rebounded
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| 弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效 | |
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104
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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105
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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106
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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107
myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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108
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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109
coruscation
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| n.闪光，焕发 | |
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110
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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111
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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112
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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113
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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114
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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115
intruded
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| n.侵入的，推进的v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 )；把…强加于 | |
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116
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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117
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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118
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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119
equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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120
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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121
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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122
supremely
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| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
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123
serenely
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| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
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124
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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125
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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126
jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
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127
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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128
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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129
lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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130
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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131
excavated
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| v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘 | |
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132
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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133
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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134
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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135
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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136
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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137
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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138
edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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139
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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140
cosmos
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| n.宇宙；秩序，和谐 | |
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141
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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142
constellations
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| n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人） | |
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143
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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144
betokened
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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145
appellation
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| n.名称，称呼 | |
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146
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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147
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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148
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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149
confessions
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| n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔 | |
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150
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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151
avowal
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| n.公开宣称，坦白承认 | |
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152
ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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153
strutted
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| 趾高气扬地走，高视阔步( strut的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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154
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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155
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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156
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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157
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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158
deriving
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| v.得到( derive的现在分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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159
craters
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| n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等 | |
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