The first thing that Pandora saw, when she entered the cottage where Epimetheus dwelt, was a great box. And almost the first question which she put to him, after crossing the threshold, was this,—
“Epimetheus, what have you in that box?”
“My dear little Pandora,” answered Epimetheus, “that is a secret, and you must be kind enough not to ask any questions about it. The box was left here to be kept safely, and I do not myself know what it contains.”
“But, who gave it to you?” asked Pandora. “And where did it come from?”
“That is a secret, too,” replied Epimetheus.
“How provoking!” exclaimed Pandora, pouting2 her lip. “I wish the great ugly box were out of the way!”
“O come, don’t think of it, any more,” cried Epimetheus. “Let us run out of doors, and have some nice play with the other children.”
It is thousands of years since Epimetheus and Pandora were alive; and the world, nowadays, is a very different sort of thing from what it was in their time. Then, everybody was a child. There needed no fathers and mothers to take care of the children; because there was no danger, nor trouble of any kind, and no clothes to be mended, and there was always plenty to eat and drink. Whenever a child wanted his dinner, he found it growing on a tree; and, if he looked at the tree in the morning, he could see the expanding blossom of that night’s supper; or, at eventide, he saw the tender bud of to-morrow’s breakfast. It was a very pleasant life indeed. No labor3 to be done, no tasks to be studied; nothing but sports and dances, and sweet voices of children talking, or carolling like birds, or gushing5 out in merry laughter, throughout the livelong day.
What was most wonderful of all, the children never quarrelled among themselves; neither had they any crying fits; nor, since time first began, had a single one of these little mortals ever gone apart into a corner, and sulked. O, what a good time was that to be alive in! The truth is, those ugly little winged monsters, called Troubles, which are now almost as numerous as mosquitoes, had never yet been seen on the earth. It is probable that the very greatest disquietude which a child had ever experienced was Pandora’s vexation at not being able to discover the secret of the mysterious box.
This was at first only the faint shadow of a Trouble; but, every day, it grew more and more substantial, until, before a great while, the cottage of Epimetheus and Pandora was less sunshiny than those of the other children.
“Whence can the box have come?” Pandora continually kept saying to herself and to Epimetheus. “And what in the world can be inside of it?”
“Always talking about this box!” said Epimetheus, at last; for he had grown extremely tired of the subject. “I wish, dear Pandora, you would try to talk of something else. Come, let us go and gather some ripe figs7, and eat them under the trees, for our supper. And I know a vine that has the sweetest and juiciest grapes you ever tasted.”
“Well, then,” said Epimetheus, who was a very good-tempered child, like a multitude of children in those days, “let us run out and have a merry time with our playmates.”
“I am tired of merry times, and don’t care if I never have any more!” answered our pettish9 little Pandora. “And, besides, I never do have any. This ugly box! I am so taken up with thinking about it all the time. I insist upon your telling me what is inside of it.”
“As I have already said, fifty times over, I do not know!” replied Epimetheus, getting a little vexed10. “How, then, can I tell you what is inside?”
“You might open it,” said Pandora, looking sideways at Epimetheus, “and then we could see for ourselves.”
“Pandora, what are you thinking of?” exclaimed Epimetheus.
And his face expressed so much horror at the idea of looking into a box, which had been confided11 to him on the condition of his never opening it, that Pandora thought it best not to suggest it any more. Still, however, she could not help thinking and talking about the box.
“At least,” said she, “you can tell me how it came here.”
“It was left at the door,” replied Epimetheus, “just before you came, by a person who looked very smiling and intelligent, and who could hardly forbear laughing as he put it down. He was dressed in an-odd kind of a cloak, and had on a cap that seemed to be made partly of feathers, so that it looked almost as if it had wings.”
“What sort of a staff had he?” asked Pandora.
“O, the most curious staff you ever saw!” cried Epimetheus. “It was like two serpents twisting around a stick, and was carved so naturally that I, at first, bought the serpents were alive.”
“I know him,” said Pandora, thoughtfully. “Nobody else has such a staff. It was Quicksilver; and he brought one hither, as well as the box. No doubt he intended it for me; and, most probably, it contains pretty dresses for me to wear, or toys for you and me to play with, or something very nice for us both to eat!”
“Perhaps so,” answered Epimetheus, turning away.
“But until Quicksilver comes back and tells us so, we have neither of us any right to lift the lid of the box.”
“What a dull boy he is!” muttered Pandora, as Epimetheus left the cottage. “I do wish he had a little more enterprise!”
For the first time since her arrival, Epimetheus had gone out without asking Pandora to accompany him. He went to gather figs and grapes by himself, or to seek whatever amusement he could find, in other society than his little playfellow’s. He was tired to death of hearing about the box, and heartily12 wished that Quicksilver, or whatever was the messenger’s name, had left it at some other child’s door, where Pandora would never have set eyes on it. So perseveringly13 as she did babble14 about this one thing! The box, the box, and nothing but the box! It seemed as if the box were bewitched, and as if the cottage were not big enough to hold it, without Pandora’s continually stumbling over it, and making Epimetheus stumble over it likewise, and bruising15 all four of their shins.
Well, it was really hard that poor Epimetheus should have a box in his ears from morning till night; especially as the little people of the earth were so unaccustomed to vexations, in those happy days, that they knew not how to deal with them. Thus, a small vexation made as much disturbance16, then, as a far bigger one would, in our own times.
After Epimetheus was gone, Pandora stood gazing at the box. She had called it ugly, above a hundred times; but, in spite of all that she had said against it, it was positively17 a very handsome article of furniture, and would have been quite an ornament18 to any room in which it should be placed. It was made of a beautiful kind of wood, with dark and rich veins19 spreading over its surface, which was so highly polished that little Pandora could see her face in it. As the child had no other looking-glass, it is odd that she did not value the box, merely on this account.
The edges and corners of the box were carved with most wonderful skill. Around the margin20 there were figures of graceful21 men and women, and the prettiest children ever seen, reclining or sporting amid a profusion22 of flowers and foliage23; and these various objects were so exquisitely24 represented, and were wrought25 together in such harmony, that flowers, foliage, and human beings seemed to combine into a wreath of mingled26 beauty. But here and there, peeping forth27 from behind the carved foliage, Pandora once or twice fancied that she saw a face not so lovely, or something or other that was disagreeable, and which stole the beauty out of all the rest. Nevertheless, on looking more closely, and touching28 the spot with her finger, she could discover nothing of the kind. Some face, that was really beautiful, had been made to look ugly by her catching29 a sideway glimpse at it.
The most beautiful face of all was done in what is called high relief, in the centre of the lid. There was nothing else, save the dark, smooth richness of the polished wood, and this one face in the centre, with a garland of flowers about its brow. Pandora had looked at this face a great many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living mouth. The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and rather mischievous31 expression, which looked almost as if it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself in words.
Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been something like this:
“Do not be afraid, Pandora! What harm can there be in opening the box? Never mind that poor, simple Epimetheus! You are wiser than he, and have ten times as much spirit. Open the box, and see if you do not find something very pretty!”
The box, I had almost forgotten to say, was fastened; not by a lock, nor by any other such contrivance, but by a very intricate knot of gold cord. There appeared to be no end to this knot, and no beginning. Never was a knot so cunningly twisted, nor with so many ins and outs, which roguishly defied the skilfullest fingers to disentangle them. And yet, by the very difficulty that there was in it, Pandora was the more tempted33 to examine the knot, and just see how it was made. Two or three times, already, she had stooped over the box, and taken the knot between her thumb and forefinger34, but without positively trying to undo35 it.
“I really believe,” said she to herself, “that I begin to see how it was done. Nay36, perhaps I could tie it up again, after undoing37 it. There would be no harm in that, surely. Even Epimetheus would not blame me for that. I need not open the box, and should not, of course, without the foolish boy’s consent, even if the knot were untied38.”
It might have been better for Pandora if she had had a little work to do, or anything to employ her mind upon, so as not to be so constantly thinking of this one subject. But children led so easy a life, before any Troubles came into the world, that they had really a great deal too much leisure. They could not be forever playing at hide-and-seek among the flower-shrubs, or at blind-man’s-buff with garlands over their eyes, or at whatever other games had been found out, while Mother Earth was in her babyhood. When life is all sport, toil40 is the real play. There was absolutely nothing to do. A little sweeping41 and dusting about the cottage, I suppose, and the gathering42 of fresh flowers (which were only too abundant everywhere), and arranging them in vases,—and poor little Pandora’s day’s work was over. And then, for the rest of the day, there was the box!
After all, I am not quite sure that the box was not a blessing43 to her in its way. It supplied her with such a variety of ideas to think of, and to talk about, whenever she had anybody to listen! When she was in good humor, she could admire the bright polish of its sides, and the rich border of beautiful faces and foliage that ran all around it. Or, if she chanced to be ill-tempered, she could give it a push, or kick it with her naughty little foot. And many a kick did the box—(but it was a mischievous box, as we shall see, and deserved all it got)—many a kick did it receive. But, certain it is, if it had not been for the box, our active-minded little Pandora would not have known half so well how to spend her time as she now did.
For it was really an endless employment to guess what was inside. What could it be, indeed? Just imagine, my little hearers, how busy your wits would be, if there were a great box in the house, which, as you might have reason to suppose, contained something new and pretty for your Christmas or New-Year’s gifts. Do you think that you should be less curious than Pandora? If you were left alone with the box, might you not feel a little tempted to lift the lid? But you would not do it. O, fie! No, no! Only, if you thought there were toys in it, it would be so very hard to let slip an opportunity of taking just one peep! I know not whether Pandora expected any toys; for none had yet begun to be made, probably, in those days, when the world itself was one great plaything for the children that dwelt upon it. But Pandora was convinced that there was something very beautiful and valuable in the box; and therefore she felt just as anxious to take a peep as any of these little girls, here around me, would have felt. And, possibly, a little more so; but of that I am not quite so certain.
On this particular day, however, which we have so long been talking about, her curiosity grew so much greater than it usually was, that, at last, she approached the box. She was more than half determined44 to open it, if she could. Ah, naughty Pandora!
First, however, she tried to lift it. It was heavy; quite too heavy for the slender strength of a child, like Pandora. She raised one end of the box a few inches from the floor, and let it fall again, with a pretty loud thump45. A moment afterwards, she almost fancied that she heard something stir, inside of the box. She applied46 her ear as closely as possible, and listened. Positively, there did seem to be a kind of stifled47 murmur48, within! Or was it merely the singing in Pandora’s ears? Or could it be the beating of her heart? The child could not quite satisfy herself whether she had heard anything or no. But, at all events, her curiosity was stronger than ever.
As she drew back her head, her eyes fell upon the knot of gold cord.
“It must have been a very ingenious person who tied this knot,” said Pandora to herself. “But I think I could untie39 it, nevertheless. I am resolved, at least, to find the two ends of the cord.”
So she took the golden knot in her fingers, and pried49 into its intricacies as sharply as she could. Almost without intending it, or quite knowing what she was about, she was soon busily engaged in attempting to undo it. Meanwhile, the bright sunshine came through the open window; as did likewise the merry voices of the children, playing at a distance, and perhaps the voice of Epimetheus among then. Pandora stopped to listen. What a beautiful day it was! Would it not be wiser, if she were to let the troublesome knot alone, and think no more about the box, but run and join her little playfellows, and be happy?
All this time, however, her fingers were half unconsciously busy with the knot; and happening to glance at the flower-wreathed face on the lid of the enchanted51 box, she seemed to perceive it slyly grinning at her.
“That face looks very mischievous,” thought Pandora. “I wonder whether it smiles because I am doing wrong! I have the greatest mind in the world to run away!”
But just then, by the merest accident, she gave the knot a kind of a twist, which produced a wonderful result. The gold cord untwined itself, as if by magic, and left the box without a fastening.
“This is the strangest thing I ever knew!” said Pandora. “What will Epimetheus say? And how can I possibly tie it up again?”
She made one or two attempts to restore the knot, but soon found it quite beyond her skill. It had disentangled itself so suddenly that she could not in the least remember how the strings53 had been doubled into one another; and when she tried to recollect54 the shape and appearance of the knot, it seemed to have gone entirely55 out of her mind. Nothing was to be done, therefore, but to let the box remain as it was, until Epimetheus should come in.
“But,” said Pandora, “when he finds the knot untied, he will know that I have done it. How shall I make him believe that I have not looked into the box?”
And then the thought came into her naughty little heart, that, since she would be suspected of having looked into the box, she might just as well do so, at once. O, very naughty and very foolish Pandora! You should have thought only of doing what was right, and of leaving undone56 what was wrong, and not of what your playfellow Epimetheus would have said or believed. And so perhaps she might, if the enchanted face on the lid of the box had not looked so bewitchingly persuasive57 at her, and if she had not seemed to hear, more distinctly than before, the murmur of small voices within. She could not tell whether it was fancy or no; but there was quite a little tumult58 of whispers in her ear,—or else it was her curiosity that whispered,
“Let us out, dear Pandora,—pray let us out! We will be such nice pretty playfellows for you! Only let us out!”
“What can it be?” thought Pandora. “Is there something alive in the box? Well!—yes!—I am resolved to take just one peep! Only one peep; and then the lid shall be shut down as safely as ever! There cannot possibly be any harm in just one little peep!”
But it is now time for us to see what Epimetheus was doing.
This was the first time, since his little playmate had come to dwell with him, that he had attempted to enjoy any pleasure in which she did not partake. But nothing went right; nor was he nearly so happy as on other days. He could not find a sweet grape or a ripe fig6 (if Epimetheus had a fault, it was a little too much fondness for figs); or, if ripe at all, they were over-ripe, and so sweet as to be cloying59. There was no mirth in his heart, such as usually made his voice gush4 out, of its own accord, and swell60 the merriment of his companions. In short, he grew so uneasy and discontented, that the other children could not imagine what was the matter with Epimetheus. Neither did he himself know what ailed61 him, any better than they did. For you must recollect, that at the time we are speaking of, it was everybody’s nature, and constant habit, to be happy. The world had not yet learned to be otherwise. Not a single soul or body, since these children were first sent to enjoy themselves on the beautiful earth, had ever been sick, or out of sorts.
At length, discovering that, somehow or other, he put a stop to all the play, Epimetheus judged it best to go back to Pandora, who was in a humor better suited to his own. But, with a hope of giving her pleasure, he gathered some flowers, and made them into a wreath, which he meant to put upon her head. The flowers were very lovely,—roses, and lilies, and orange-blossoms, and a great many more, which left a trail of fragrance62 behind, as Epimetheus carried them along; and the wreath was put together with as much skill as could reasonably be expected of a boy. The fingers of little girls, it has always appeared to me, are the fittest to twine52 flower-wreaths; but boys could do it, in those days, rather better than they can now.
And here I must mention that a great black cloud had been gathering in the sky, for some time past, although it had not yet overspread the sun. But, just as Epimetheus reached the cottage door, this cloud began to intercept63 the sunshine, and thus to make a sudden and sad obscurity.
He entered softly; for he meant, if possible, to steal behind Pandora, and fling the wreath of flowers over her head, before she should be aware of his approach. But, as it happened, there was no need of his treading so very lightly. He might have trod as heavily as he pleased,—as heavily as a grown man,—as heavily, I was going to say, as an elephant,—without much probability of Pandora’s hearing his footsteps. She was too intent upon her purpose. At the moment of his entering the cottage, the naughty child had put her hand to the lid, and was on the point of opening the mysterious box. Epimetheus beheld64 her. If he had cried out, Pandora would probably have withdrawn65 her hand, and the fatal mystery of the box might never have been known.
But Epimetheus himself, although he said very little about it, had his own share of curiosity to know what was inside. Perceiving that Pandora was resolved to find out the secret, he determined that his playfellow should not be the only wise person in the cottage. And if there were anything pretty or valuable in the box, he meant to take half of it to himself. Thus, after all his sage66 speeches to Pandora about restraining her curiosity, Epimetheus turned out to be quite as foolish, and nearly as much in fault, as she. So, whenever we blame Pandora for what happened, we must not forget to shake our heads at Epimetheus likewise.
As Pandora raised the lid, the cottage grew very dark and dismal67; for the black cloud had now swept quite over the sun, and seemed to have buried it alive. There had, for a little while past, been a low growling68 and muttering, which all at once broke into a heavy peal69 of thunder. But Pandora, heeding70 nothing of all this, lifted the lid nearly upright, and looked inside. It seemed as if a sudden swarm71 of winged creatures brushed past her, taking flight out of the box, while, at the same instant, she heard the voice of Epimetheus, with a lamentable72 tone, as if he were in pain.
“O, I am stung!” cried he. “I am stung! Naughty Pandora! why have you opened this wicked box?”
Pandora let fall the lid, and, starting up, looked about her, to see what had befallen Epimetheus. The thundercloud had so darkened the room that she could not very clearly discern what was in it. But she heard a disagreeable buzzing, as if a great many huge flies, or gigantic mosquitoes, or those insects which we call dorbugs and pinching-dogs, were darting73 about. And, as her eyes grew more accustomed to the imperfect light, she saw a crowd of ugly little shapes, with bats’ wings, looking abominably74 spiteful, and armed with terribly long stings in their tails. It was one of these that had stung Epimetheus. Nor was it a great while before Pandora herself began to scream, in no less pain and affright than her playfellow, and making a vast deal more hubbub75 about it. An odious76 little monster had settled on her forehead, and would have stung her I know not how deeply, if Epimetheus had not run and brushed it away.
Now, if you wish to know what these ugly things might be, which had made their escape out of the box, I must tell you that they were the whole family of earthly Troubles. There were evil Passions; there were a great many species of Cares; there were more than a hundred and fifty Sorrows; there were Diseases, in a vast number of miserable77 and painful shapes; there were more kinds of Naughtiness than it would be of any use to talk about. In short, everything that has since afflicted78 the souls and bodies of mankind had been shut up in the mysterious box, and given to Epimetheus and Pandora to be kept safely, in order that the happy children of the world might never be molested79 by them. Had they been faithful to their trust, all would have gone well. No grown person would ever have been sad, nor any child have had cause to shed a single tear, from that hour until this moment.
But—and you may see by this how a wrong act of any one mortal is a calamity80 to the whole world—by Pandora’s lifting the lid of that miserable box, and by the fault of Epimetheus, too, in not preventing her, these Troubles have obtained a foothold among us, and do not seem very likely to be driven away in a hurry. For it was impossible, as you will easily guess, that the two children should keep the ugly swarm in their own little cottage. On the contrary, the first thing that they did was to fling open the doors and windows, in hopes of getting rid of them; and, sure enough, away flew the winged Troubles all abroad, and so pestered81 and tormented82 the small people, everywhere about, that none of them so much as smiled for many days afterwards. And, what was very singular, all the flowers and dewy blossoms on earth, not one of which had hitherto faded, now began to droop83 and shed their leaves, after a day or two. The children, moreover, who before seemed immortal84 in their childhood, now grew older, day by day, and came soon to be youths and maidens85, and men and women by and by, and aged50 people, before they dreamed of such a thing.
Meanwhile, the naughty Pandora, and hardly less naughty Epimetheus, remained in their cottage. Both of them had been grievously stung, and were in a good deal of pain, which seemed the more intolerable to them, because it was the very first pain that had ever been felt since the world began. Of course, they were entirely unaccustomed to it, and could have no idea what it meant. Besides all this, they were in exceedingly bad humor, both with themselves and with one another. In order to indulge it to the utmost, Epimetheus sat down sullenly86 in a corner with his back towards Pandora; while Pandora flung herself upon the floor and rested her head on the fatal and abominable88 box. She was crying bitterly, and sobbing90 as if her heart would break.
Suddenly there was a gentle little tap, on the inside of the lid.
“What can that be?” cried Pandora, lifting her head.
But either Epimetheus had not heard the tap, or was too much out of humor to notice it. At any rate, he made no answer.
“You are very unkind,” said Pandora, sobbing anew, “not to speak to me!”
Again the tap! It sounded like the tiny knuckles91 of a fairy’s hand, knocking lightly and playfully on the inside of the box.
“Who are you?” asked Pandora, with a little of her former curiosity. “Who are you, inside of this naughty box?”
“Only lift the lid, and you shall see.”
“No, no,” answered Pandora, again beginning to sob89, “I have had enough of lifting the lid! You are inside of the box, naughty creature, and there you shall stay! There are plenty of your ugly brothers and sisters already flying about the world. You need never think that I shall be so foolish as to let you out!”
She looked towards Epimetheus, as she spoke, perhaps expecting that he would commend her for her wisdom. But the sullen87 boy only muttered that she was wise a little too late.
“Ah,” said the sweet little voice again, “you had much better let me out. I am not like those naughty creatures that have stings in their tails. They are no brothers and sisters of mine, as you would see at once, if you were only to get a glimpse of me. Come, come, my pretty Pandora! I am sure you will let me out!”
And, indeed, there was a kind of cheerful witchery in the tone, that made it almost impossible to refuse anything which this little voice asked. Pandora’s heart had insensibly grown lighter92, at every word that came from within the box. Epimetheus, too, though still in the corner, had turned half round, and seemed to be in rather better spirits than before.
“My dear Epimetheus,” cried Pandora, “have you heard this little voice?”
“Yes, to be sure I have,” answered he, but in no very good-humor as yet. “And what of it?”
“Shall I lift the lid again?” asked Pandora.
“Just as you please,” said Epimetheus. “You have done so much mischief93 already, that perhaps you may as well do a little more. One other Trouble, in such a swarm as you have set adrift about the world, can make no very great difference.”
“Ah, naughty boy!” cried the little voice within the box, in an arch and laughing tone. “He knows he is longing95 to see me. Come, my dear Pandora, lift up the lid. I am in a great hurry to comfort you. Only let me have some fresh air, and you shall soon see that matters are not quite so dismal as you think them!”
“Epimetheus,” exclaimed Pandora, “come what may, I am resolved to open the box!”
“And, as the lid seems very heavy,” cried Epimetheus, running across the room, “I will help you!”
So, with one consent, the two children again lifted the lid. Out flew a sunny and smiling little personage, and hovered96 about the room, throwing a light wherever she went. Have you never made the sunshine dance into dark corners, by reflecting it from a bit of looking-glass? Well, so looked the winged cheerfulness of this fairylike stranger, amid the gloom of the cottage. She flew to Epimetheus, and laid the least touch of her finger on the inflamed97 spot where the Trouble had stung him, and immediately the anguish98 of it was gone. Then she kissed Pandora on the forehead, and her hurt was cured likewise.
After performing these good offices, the bright stranger fluttered sportively over the children’s heads, and looked so sweetly at them, that they both began to think it not so very much amiss to have opened the box, since, otherwise, their cheery guest must have been kept a prisoner among those naughty imps30 with stings in their tails.
“Pray, who are you, beautiful creature?” inquired Pandora.
“I am to be called Hope!” answered the sunshiny figure. “And because I am such a cheery little body, I was packed into the box, to make amends99 to the human race for that swarm of ugly Troubles, which was destined100 to be let loose among them. Never fear! we shall do pretty well, in spite of them all.”
“Your wings are colored like the rainbow!” exclaimed Pandora. “How very beautiful!”
“Yes, they are like the rainbow,” said Hope, “because glad as my nature is, I am partly made of tears as well as smiles.”
“And will you stay with us,” asked Epimetheus, “for ever and ever?”
“As long as you need me,” said Hope, with her pleasant smile,—“and that will be as long as you live in the world,—I promise never to desert you. There may come times and seasons, now and then, when you will think that I have utterly101 vanished. But again, and again, and again, when perhaps you least dream of it, you shall see the glimmer102 of my wings on the ceiling of your cottage. Yes, my dear children, and I know something very good and beautiful that is to be given you hereafter!”
“O tell us,” they exclaimed,—“tell us what it is!”
“Do not ask me,” replied Hope, putting her finger on her rosy103 mouth. “But do not despair, even if it should never happen while you live on this earth. Trust in my promise, for it is true.”
“We do trust you!” cried Epimetheus and Pandora, both in one breath.
And so they did; and not only they, but so has everybody trusted Hope, that has since been alive. And, to tell you the truth, I cannot help being glad—(though, to be sure, it was an uncommonly104 naughty thing for her to do)-but I cannot help being glad that our foolish Pandora peeped into the box. No doubt—no doubt—the Troubles are still flying about the world, and have increased in multitude, rather than lessened105, and are a very ugly set of imps, and carry most venomous stings in their tails. I have felt them already, and expect to feel them more, as I grow older. But then that lovely and lightsome little figure of Hope! What in the world could we do without her? Hope spiritualizes the earth; Hope makes it always new; and, even in the earth’s best and brightest aspect, Hope shows it to be only the shadow of an infinite bliss106 hereafter!
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infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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pouting
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| v.撅（嘴）( pout的现在分词 ) | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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fig
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figs
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| figures 数字，图形，外形 | |
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pettishly
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pettish
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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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11
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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12
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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13
perseveringly
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| 坚定地 | |
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14
babble
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| v.含糊不清地说，胡言乱语地说，儿语 | |
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15
bruising
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| adj.殊死的；十分激烈的v.擦伤(bruise的现在分词形式) | |
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16
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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17
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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18
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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19
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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20
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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21
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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22
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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23
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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24
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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25
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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26
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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27
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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28
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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29
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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30
imps
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| n.（故事中的）小恶魔( imp的名词复数 )；小魔鬼；小淘气；顽童 | |
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31
mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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32
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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33
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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34
forefinger
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| n.食指 | |
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35
undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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36
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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37
undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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38
untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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39
untie
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| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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40
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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41
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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42
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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43
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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44
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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45
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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46
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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47
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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48
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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49
pried
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| v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的过去式和过去分词 )；撬开 | |
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50
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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51
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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52
twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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53
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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54
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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55
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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56
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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57
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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58
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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59
cloying
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| adj.甜得发腻的 | |
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60
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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61
ailed
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| v.生病( ail的过去式和过去分词 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳 | |
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62
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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63
intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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64
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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65
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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66
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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67
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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68
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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69
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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70
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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71
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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72
lamentable
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| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
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73
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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74
abominably
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| adv. 可恶地，可恨地，恶劣地 | |
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75
hubbub
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| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
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76
odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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77
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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78
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79
molested
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| v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵 | |
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80
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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81
pestered
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| 使烦恼，纠缠( pester的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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83
droop
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| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
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84
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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85
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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86
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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87
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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88
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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89
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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90
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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91
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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92
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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93
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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94
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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95
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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96
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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97
inflamed
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| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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99
amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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100
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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101
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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102
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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103
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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104
uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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105
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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106
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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