The next morning I met Lady Glenmire and Miss Pole setting out on a long walk to find some old woman who was famous in the neighbourhood for her skill in knitting woollen stockings. Miss Pole said to me, with a smile half-kindly and half-contemptuous upon her countenance1, "I have been just telling Lady Glenmire of our poor friend Mrs Forrester, and her terror of ghosts. It comes from living so much alone, and listening to the bug-a-boo stories of that Jenny of hers." She was so calm and so much above superstitious2 fears herself that I was almost ashamed to say how glad I had been of her Headingley Causeway proposition the night before, and turned off the conversation to something else.
In the afternoon Miss Pole called on Miss Matty to tell her of the adventure--the real adventure they had met with on their morning's walk. They had been
perplexed3 about the exact path which they were to take across the fields in order to find the knitting old woman, and had stopped to inquire at a little wayside public-house,
standing4 on the high road to London, about three miles from Cranford. The good woman had asked them to sit down and rest themselves while she fetched her husband, who could direct them better than she could; and, while they were sitting in the sanded parlour, a little girl came in. They thought that she belonged to the
landlady5, and began some
trifling6 conversation with her; but, on Mrs Roberts's return, she told them that the little thing was the only child of a couple who were staying in the house. And then she began a long story, out of which Lady Glenmire and Miss Pole could only gather one or two
decided7 facts, which were that, about six weeks ago, a light spring-cart had broken down just before their door, in which there were two men, one woman, and this child. One of the men was seriously hurt--no bones broken, only "shaken," the landlady called it; but he had probably sustained some severe internal injury, for he had
languished8 in their house ever since, attended by his wife, the mother of this little girl. Miss Pole had asked what he was, what he looked like. And Mrs Roberts had made answer that he was not like a gentleman, nor yet like a common person; if it had not been that he and his wife were such decent, quiet people, she could almost have thought he was a
mountebank9, or something of that kind, for they had a great box in the cart, full of she did not know what. She had helped to
unpack10 it, and take out their
linen11 and clothes, when the other man--his twin-brother, she believed he was--had gone off with the horse and cart.
Miss Pole had begun to have her suspicions at this point, and expressed her idea that it was rather strange that the box and cart and horse and all should have disappeared; but good Mrs Roberts seemed to have become quite indignant at Miss Pole's implied suggestion; in fact, Miss Pole said she was as angry as if Miss Pole had told her that she herself was a swindler. As the best way of convincing the ladies, she bethought her of begging them to see the wife; and, as Miss Pole said, there was no doubting the honest, worn, bronzed face of the woman, who at the first tender word from Lady Glenmire, burst into tears, which she was too weak to check until some word from the landlady made her swallow down her
sobs12, in order that she might testify to the
Christian13 kindness shown by Mr and Mrs Roberts. Miss Pole came round with a swing to as
vehement14 a belief in the sorrowful tale as she had been sceptical before; and, as a proof of this, her energy in the poor sufferer's behalf was nothing
daunted15 when she found out that he, and no other, was our Signor Brunoni, to whom all Cranford had been attributing all manner of evil this six weeks past! Yes! his wife said his proper name was Samuel Brown--"Sam," she called him--but to the last we preferred calling him "the Signor"; it sounded so much better.
The end of their conversation with the Signora Brunoni was that it was agreed that he should be placed under medical advice, and for any expense
incurred16 in
procuring17 this Lady Glenmire promised to hold herself responsible, and had accordingly gone to Mr Hoggins to beg him to ride over to the "Rising Sun" that very afternoon, and examine into the signor's real state; and, as Miss Pole said, if it was desirable to remove him to Cranford to be more immediately under Mr Hoggins's eye, she would undertake to see for
lodgings18 and arrange about the rent. Mrs Roberts had been as kind as could be all throughout, but it was evident that their long residence there had been a slight inconvenience.
Before Miss Pole left us, Miss Matty and I were as full of the morning's adventure as she was. We talked about it all the evening, turning it in every possible light, and we went to bed anxious for the morning, when we should surely hear from someone what Mr Hoggins thought and recommended; for, as Miss Matty observed, though Mr Hoggins did say "Jack's up," "a
fig19 for his heels," and called Preference "Pref." she believed he was a very
worthy20 man and a very clever surgeon. Indeed, we were rather proud of our doctor at Cranford, as a doctor. We often wished, when we heard of Queen Adelaide or the Duke of Wellington being ill, that they would send for Mr Hoggins; but, on consideration, we were rather glad they did not, for, if we were
ailing21, what should we do if Mr Hoggins had been appointed physician-in-ordinary to the Royal Family? As a surgeon we were proud of him; but as a man--or rather, I should say, as a gentleman--we could only shake our heads over his name and himself, and wished that he had read Lord Chesterfield's Letters in the days when his manners were
susceptible22 of improvement. Nevertheless, we all regarded his dictum in the signor's case as infallible, and when he said that with care and attention he might rally, we had no more fear for him.
But, although we had no more fear, everybody did as much as if there was great cause for anxiety--as indeed there was until Mr Hoggins took charge of him. Miss Pole looked out clean and comfortable, if
homely23, lodgings; Miss Matty sent the sedan-chair for him, and Martha and I aired it well before it left Cranford by holding a warming-pan full of red-hot coals in it, and then shutting it up close, smoke and all, until the time when he should get into it at the "Rising Sun." Lady Glenmire undertook the medical department under Mr Hoggins's directions, and
rummaged24 up all Mrs Jamieson's medicine glasses, and spoons, and bed-tables, in a free-and-easy way, that made Miss Matty feel a little anxious as to what that lady and Mr Mulliner might say, if they knew. Mrs Forrester made some of the bread-jelly, for which she was so famous, to have ready as a
refreshment25 in the lodgings when he should arrive. A present of this bread-jelly was the highest mark of favour dear Mrs Forrester could confer. Miss Pole had once asked her for the receipt, but she had met with a very decided rebuff; that lady told her that she could not part with it to any one during her life, and that after her death it was bequeathed, as her executors would find, to Miss Matty. What Miss Matty, or, as Mrs Forrester called her (remembering the clause in her will and the dignity of the occasion), Miss Matilda Jenkyns--might choose to do with the receipt when it came into her possession--whether to make it public, or to hand it down as an heirloom--she did not know, nor would she
dictate26. And a mould of this admirable, digestible, unique bread-jelly was sent by Mrs Forrester to our poor sick
conjuror27. Who says that the aristocracy are proud? Here was a lady by birth a Tyrrell, and
descended28 from the great Sir Walter that shot King Rufus, and in whose
veins29 ran the blood of him who murdered the little princes in the Tower, going every day to see what dainty dishes she could prepare for Samuel Brown, a mountebank! But, indeed, it was wonderful to see what kind feelings were called out by this poor man's coming amongst us. And also wonderful to see how the great Cranford panic, which had been occasioned by his first coming in his Turkish dress, melted away into thin air on his second coming--pale and feeble, and with his heavy, filmy eyes, that only brightened a very little when they fell upon the countenance of his faithful wife, or their pale and sorrowful little girl.
Somehow we all forgot to be afraid. I daresay it was that finding out that he, who had first excited our love of the marvellous by his
unprecedented30 arts, had not sufficient every-day gifts to manage a shying horse, made us feel as if we were ourselves again. Miss Pole came with her little basket at all hours of the evening, as if her lonely house and the unfrequented road to it had never been
infested31 by that "murderous gang"; Mrs Forrester said she thought that neither Jenny nor she need mind the headless lady who wept and
wailed32 in Darkness Lane, for surely the power was never given to such beings to harm those who went about to try to do what little good was in their power, to which Jenny tremblingly
assented33; but the mistress's theory had little effect on the maid's practice until she had sewn two pieces of red
flannel34 in the shape of a cross on her inner garment.
I found Miss Matty covering her penny ball--the ball that she used to roll under her bed--with gay-coloured worsted in rainbow stripes.
"My dear," said she, "my heart is sad for that little
careworn35 child. Although her father is a conjuror, she looks as if she had never had a good game of play in her life. I used to make very pretty balls in this way when I was a girl, and I thought I would try if I could not make this one smart and take it to Phoebe this afternoon. I think 'the gang' must have left the neighbourhood, for one does not hear any more of their violence and robbery now."
We were all of us far too full of the signor's
precarious36 state to talk either about robbers or ghosts. Indeed, Lady Glenmire said she never had heard of any actual robberies, except that two little boys had stolen some apples from Farmer Benson's
orchard37, and that some eggs had been missed on a market-day off Widow Hayward's stall. But that was expecting too much of us; we could not acknowledge that we had only had this small foundation for all our panic. Miss Pole drew herself up at this remark of Lady Glenmire's, and said "that she wished she could agree with her as to the very small reason we had had for alarm, but with the recollection of a man disguised as a woman who had endeavoured to force himself into her house while his confederates waited outside; with the knowledge gained from Lady Glenmire herself, of the footprints seen on Mrs Jamieson's flower borders; with the fact before her of the audacious robbery committed on Mr Hoggins at his own door"--But here Lady Glenmire broke in with a very strong expression of doubt as to whether this last story was not an entire fabrication founded upon the theft of a cat; she grew so red while she was saying all this that I was not surprised at Miss Pole's manner of
bridling38 up, and I am certain, if Lady Glenmire had not been "her ladyship," we should have had a more
emphatic39 contradiction than the "Well, to be sure!" and similar fragmentary ejaculations, which were all that she ventured upon in my lady's presence. But when she was gone Miss Pole began a long congratulation to Miss Matty that so far they had escaped marriage, which she noticed always made people
credulous40 to the last degree; indeed, she thought it argued great natural credulity in a woman if she could not keep herself from being married; and in what Lady Glenmire had said about Mr Hoggins's robbery we had a
specimen41 of what people came to if they gave way to such a weakness; evidently Lady Glenmire would swallow anything if she could believe the poor vamped-up story about a neck of mutton and a
pussy42 with which he had tried to impose on Miss Pole, only she had always been on her guard against believing too much of what men said.
We were thankful, as Miss Pole desired us to be, that we had never been married; but I think, of the two, we were even more thankful that the robbers had left Cranford; at least I judge so from a speech of Miss Matty's that evening, as we sat over the fire, in which she evidently looked upon a husband as a great protector against thieves, burglars, and ghosts; and said that she did not think that she should dare to be always warning young people against matrimony, as Miss Pole did continually; to be sure, marriage was a risk, as she saw, now she had had some experience; but she remembered the time when she had looked forward to being married as much as any one.
"Not to any particular person, my dear," said she, hastily checking herself up, as if she were afraid of having admitted too much; "only the old story, you know, of ladies always saying, 'WHEN I marry,' and gentlemen, 'IF I marry.'" It was a joke spoken in rather a sad tone, and I doubt if either of us smiled; but I could not see Miss Matty's face by the
flickering44 fire-light. In a little while she continued -
"But, after all, I have not told you the truth. It is so long ago, and no one ever knew how much I thought of it at the time, unless, indeed, my dear mother guessed; but I may say that there was a time when I did not think I should have been only Miss Matty Jenkyns all my life; for even if I did meet with any one who wished to marry me now (and, as Miss Pole says, one is never too safe), I could not take him--I hope he would not take it too much to heart, but I could NOT take him--or any one but the person I once thought I should be married to; and he is dead and gone, and he never knew how it all came about that I said 'No,' when I had thought many and many a time--Well, it's no matter what I thought. God
ordains45 it all, and I am very happy, my dear. No one has such kind friends as I," continued she, taking my hand and holding it in hers.
If I had never known of Mr Holbrook, I could have said something in this pause, but as I had, I could not think of anything that would come in naturally, and so we both kept silence for a little time.
"My father once made us," she began, "keep a diary, in two columns; on one side we were to put down in the morning what we thought would be the course and events of the coming day, and at night we were to put down on the other side what really had happened. It would be to some people rather a sad way of telling their lives," (a tear dropped upon my hand at these words)--"I don't mean that mine has been sad, only so very different to what I expected. I remember, one winter's evening, sitting over our bedroom fire with Deborah--I remember it as if it were yesterday--and we were planning our future lives, both of us were planning, though only she talked about it. She said she should like to marry an archdeacon, and write his charges; and you know, my dear, she never was married, and, for aught I know, she never
spoke43 to an unmarried archdeacon in her life. I never was ambitious, nor could I have written charges, but I thought I could manage a house (my mother used to call me her right hand), and I was always so fond of little children--the shyest babies would stretch out their little arms to come to me; when I was a girl, I was half my leisure time nursing in the neighbouring cottages; but I don't know how it was, when I grew sad and grave--which I did a year or two after this time--the little things drew back from me, and I am afraid I lost the
knack46, though I am just as fond of children as ever, and have a strange
yearning47 at my heart whenever I see a mother with her baby in her arms.
Nay48, my dear" (and by a sudden blaze which sprang up from a fall of the unstirred coals, I saw that her eyes were full of tears--gazing intently on some vision of what might have been), "do you know I dream sometimes that I have a little child--always the same--a little girl of about two years old; she never grows older, though I have dreamt about her for many years. I don't think I ever dream of any words or sound she makes; she is very noiseless and still, but she comes to me when she is very sorry or very glad, and I have wakened with the clasp of her dear little arms round my neck. Only last night--perhaps because I had gone to sleep thinking of this ball for Phoebe--my little darling came in my dream, and put up her mouth to be kissed, just as I have seen real babies do to real mothers before going to bed. But all this is nonsense, dear! only don't be frightened by Miss Pole from being married. I can fancy it may be a very happy state, and a little credulity helps one on through life very smoothly--better than always doubting and doubting and seeing difficulties and disagreeables in everything."
If I had been inclined to be daunted from matrimony, it would not have been Miss Pole to do it; it would have been the lot of poor Signor Brunoni and his wife. And yet again, it was an encouragement to see how, through all their cares and sorrows, they thought of each other and not of themselves; and how keen were their joys, if they only passed through each other, or through the little Phoebe.
The signora told me, one day, a good deal about their lives up to this period. It began by my asking her whether Miss Pole's story of the twin-brothers were true; it sounded so wonderful a
likeness49, that I should have had my doubts, if Miss Pole had not been unmarried. But the signora, or (as we found out she preferred to be called) Mrs Brown, said it was quite true; that her brother-in- law was by many taken for her husband, which was of great assistance to them in their profession; "though," she continued, "how people can mistake Thomas for the real Signor Brunoni, I can't conceive; but he says they do; so I suppose I must believe him. Not but what he is a very good man; I am sure I don't know how we should have paid our bill at the 'Rising Sun' but for the money he sends; but people must know very little about art if they can take him for my husband. Why, Miss, in the ball trick, where my husband spreads his fingers wide, and throws out his little finger with quite an air and a grace, Thomas just
clumps50 up his hand like a fist, and might have ever so many balls hidden in it. Besides, he has never been in India, and knows nothing of the proper sit of a turban."
"Have you been in India?" said I, rather astonished.
"Oh, yes! many a year, ma'am. Sam was a
sergeant51 in the 31st; and when the
regiment52 was ordered to India, I drew a lot to go, and I was more thankful than I can tell; for it seemed as if it would only be a slow death to me to part from my husband. But, indeed, ma'am, if I had known all, I don't know whether I would not rather have died there and then than gone through what I have done since. To be sure, I've been able to comfort Sam, and to be with him; but, ma'am, I've lost six children," said she, looking up at me with those strange eyes that I've never noticed but in mothers of dead children--with a kind of wild look in them, as if seeking for what they never more might find. "Yes! Six children died off, like little buds nipped untimely, in that cruel India. I thought, as each died, I never could--I never would--love a child again; and when the next came, it had not only its own love, but the deeper love that came from the thoughts of its little dead brothers and sisters. And when Phoebe was coming, I said to my husband, 'Sam, when the child is born, and I am strong, I shall leave you; it will cut my heart cruel; but if this baby dies too, I shall go mad; the madness is in me now; but if you let me go down to Calcutta, carrying my baby step by step, it will, maybe, work itself off; and I will save, and I will
hoard53, and I will beg--and I will die, to get a passage home to England, where our baby may live?' God bless him! he said I might go; and he saved up his pay, and I saved every pice I could get for washing or any way; and when Phoebe came, and I grew strong again, I set off. It was very lonely; through the thick forests, dark again with their heavy trees--along by the river's side (but I had been brought up near the Avon in Warwickshire, so that flowing noise sounded like home)--from station to station, from Indian village to village, I went along, carrying my child. I had seen one of the officer's ladies with a little picture, ma'am--done by a Catholic foreigner, ma'am--of the
Virgin54 and the little
Saviour55, ma'am. She had him on her arm, and her form was softly curled round him, and their cheeks touched. Well, when I went to bid good-bye to this lady, for whom I had washed, she cried sadly; for she, too, had lost her children, but she had not another to save, like me; and I was bold enough to ask her would she give me that print. And she cried the more, and said her children were with that little blessed Jesus; and gave it me, and told me that she had heard it had been painted on the bottom of a cask, which made it have that round shape. And when my body was very weary, and my heart was sick (for there were times when I misdoubted if I could ever reach my home, and there were times when I thought of my husband, and one time when I thought my baby was dying), I took out that picture and looked at it, till I could have thought the mother spoke to me, and comforted me. And the natives were very kind. We could not understand one another; but they saw my baby on my breast, and they came out to me, and brought me rice and milk, and sometimes flowers--I have got some of the flowers dried. Then, the next morning, I was so tired; and they wanted me to stay with them--I could tell that--and tried to frighten me from going into the deep woods, which, indeed, looked very strange and dark; but it seemed to me as if Death was following me to take my baby away from me; and as if I must go on, and on--and I thought how God had cared for mothers ever since the world was made, and would care for me; so I bade them good-bye, and set off afresh. And once when my baby was ill, and both she and I needed rest, He led me to a place where I found a kind Englishman lived, right in the midst of the natives."
"And you reached Calcutta safely at last?"
"Yes, safely! Oh! when I knew I had only two days' journey more before me, I could not help it, ma'am--it might be idolatry, I cannot tell--but I was near one of the native temples, and I went into it with my baby to thank God for His great mercy; for it seemed to me that where others had prayed before to their God, in their joy or in their agony, was of itself a sacred place. And I got as servant to an
invalid56 lady, who grew quite fond of my baby aboard-ship; and, in two years' time, Sam earned his discharge, and came home to me, and to our child. Then he had to fix on a trade; but he knew of none; and once, once upon a time, he had learnt some tricks from an Indian
juggler57; so he set up
conjuring58, and it answered so well that he took Thomas to help him--as his man, you know, not as another conjuror, though Thomas has set it up now on his own hook. But it has been a great help to us that likeness between the twins, and made a good many tricks go off well that they made up together. And Thomas is a good brother, only he has not the fine carriage of my husband, so that I can't think how he can be taken for Signor Brunoni himself, as he says he is."
"Poor little Phoebe!" said I, my thoughts going back to the baby she carried all those hundred miles.
"Ah! you may say so! I never thought I should have reared her, though, when she fell ill at Chunderabaddad; but that good, kind Aga Jenkyns took us in, which I believe was the very saving of her."
"Jenkyns!" said I.
"Yes, Jenkyns. I shall think all people of that name are kind; for here is that nice old lady who comes every day to take Phoebe a walk!"
But an idea had flashed through my head; could the Aga Jenkyns be the lost Peter? True he was reported by many to be dead. But, equally true, some had said that he had arrived at the dignity of Great Lama of Thibet. Miss Matty thought he was alive. I would make further
inquiry59.
点击
收听单词发音
1
countenance
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n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 |
参考例句: |
- At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
- I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地,仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。
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2
superstitious
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adj.迷信的 |
参考例句: |
- They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
- These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。
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3
perplexed
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adj.不知所措的 |
参考例句: |
- The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛,走了又回来,犹豫不决,总怕上当受骗。
- The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。
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4
standing
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n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 |
参考例句: |
- After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
- They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
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5
landlady
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n.女房东,女地主 |
参考例句: |
- I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
- The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。
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6
trifling
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adj.微不足道的;没什么价值的 |
参考例句: |
- They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
- So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利,不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。
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7
decided
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adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 |
参考例句: |
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
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8
languished
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长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 ); 受折磨; 变得(越来越)衰弱; 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 |
参考例句: |
- Our project languished during the holidays. 我们的计划在假期间推动得松懈了。
- He languished after his dog died. 他狗死之后,人憔悴了。
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9
mountebank
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n.江湖郎中;骗子 |
参考例句: |
- The nation was led astray by a mountebank.这个国家被一个夸夸其谈的骗子引入歧途。
- The mountebank was stormed with questions.江湖骗子受到了猛烈的质问。
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10
unpack
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vt.打开包裹(或行李),卸货 |
参考例句: |
- I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
- She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。
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11
linen
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n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 |
参考例句: |
- The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
- Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。
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12
sobs
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啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 ) |
参考例句: |
- She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
- She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。
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13
Christian
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adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 |
参考例句: |
- They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
- His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
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14
vehement
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adj.感情强烈的;热烈的;(人)有强烈感情的 |
参考例句: |
- She made a vehement attack on the government's policies.她强烈谴责政府的政策。
- His proposal met with vehement opposition.他的倡导遭到了激烈的反对。
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15
daunted
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使(某人)气馁,威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- She was a brave woman but she felt daunted by the task ahead. 她是一个勇敢的女人,但对面前的任务却感到信心不足。
- He was daunted by the high quality of work they expected. 他被他们对工作的高品质的要求吓倒了。
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16
incurred
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[医]招致的,遭受的; incur的过去式 |
参考例句: |
- She had incurred the wrath of her father by marrying without his consent 她未经父亲同意就结婚,使父亲震怒。
- We will reimburse any expenses incurred. 我们将付还所有相关费用。
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17
procuring
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v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的现在分词 );拉皮条 |
参考例句: |
- He was accused of procuring women for his business associates. 他被指控为其生意合伙人招妓。 来自辞典例句
- She had particular pleasure, in procuring him the proper invitation. 她特别高兴为他争得这份体面的邀请。 来自辞典例句
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18
lodgings
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n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 |
参考例句: |
- When he reached his lodgings the sun had set. 他到达公寓房间时,太阳已下山了。
- I'm on the hunt for lodgings. 我正在寻找住所。
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19
fig
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n.无花果(树) |
参考例句: |
- The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果,又挑了一个。
- You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。
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20
worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 |
参考例句: |
- I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
- There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
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21
ailing
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v.生病 |
参考例句: |
- They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
- She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。
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22
susceptible
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adj.过敏的,敏感的;易动感情的,易受感动的 |
参考例句: |
- Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
- We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。
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23
homely
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adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的 |
参考例句: |
- We had a homely meal of bread and cheese.我们吃了一顿面包加乳酪的家常便餐。
- Come and have a homely meal with us,will you?来和我们一起吃顿家常便饭,好吗?
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24
rummaged
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翻找,搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 ); 已经海关检查 |
参考例句: |
- I rummaged through all the boxes but still could not find it. 几个箱子都翻腾遍了也没有找到。
- The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods. 海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。
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25
refreshment
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n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点 |
参考例句: |
- He needs to stop fairly often for refreshment.他须时不时地停下来喘口气。
- A hot bath is a great refreshment after a day's work.在一天工作之后洗个热水澡真是舒畅。
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26
dictate
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v.口授;(使)听写;指令,指示,命令 |
参考例句: |
- It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
- What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令?
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27
conjuror
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n.魔术师,变戏法者 |
参考例句: |
- The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder.孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。
- The conjuror's magic delighted the children.魔术师的戏法逗乐了孩子们。
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28
descended
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a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 |
参考例句: |
- A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
- The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
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29
veins
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n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 |
参考例句: |
- The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的,感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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30
unprecedented
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adj.无前例的,新奇的 |
参考例句: |
- The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
- A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
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31
infested
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|
adj.为患的,大批滋生的(常与with搭配)v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 );遍布于 |
参考例句: |
- The kitchen was infested with ants. 厨房里到处是蚂蚁。
- The apartments were infested with rats and roaches. 公寓里面到处都是老鼠和蟑螂。
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32
wailed
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v.哭叫,哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
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33
assented
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|
同意,赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句: |
- The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
- "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对,”汤姆表示赞同地说,“他们不杀女人——真伟大!
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34
flannel
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|
n.法兰绒;法兰绒衣服 |
参考例句: |
- She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。
- She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子,看上去楚楚动人。
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35
careworn
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|
adj.疲倦的,饱经忧患的 |
参考例句: |
- It's sad to see the careworn face of the mother of a large poor family.看到那贫穷的一大家子的母亲忧劳憔悴的脸庞心里真是难受。
- The old woman had a careworn look on her face.老妇脸上露出忧心忡忡的神色。
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36
precarious
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|
adj.不安定的,靠不住的;根据不足的 |
参考例句: |
- Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
- He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家,他过得是朝不保夕的生活。
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37
orchard
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|
n.果园,果园里的全部果树,(美俚)棒球场 |
参考例句: |
- My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
- Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。
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38
bridling
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|
给…套龙头( bridle的现在分词 ); 控制; 昂首表示轻蔑(或怨忿等); 动怒,生气 |
参考例句: |
- Suellen, bridling, always asked news of Mr. Kennedy. 苏伦也克制着经常探询肯尼迪先生的情况。
- We noticed sever al men loitering about the bridling last night. 昨天夜里我们看到有几个人在楼附近荡来荡去。
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39
emphatic
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|
adj.强调的,着重的;无可置疑的,明显的 |
参考例句: |
- Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决,不容有任何人怀疑。
- He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。
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40
credulous
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|
adj.轻信的,易信的 |
参考例句: |
- You must be credulous if she fooled you with that story.连她那种话都能把你骗倒,你一定是太容易相信别人了。
- Credulous attitude will only make you take anything for granted.轻信的态度只会使你想当然。
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41
specimen
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|
n.样本,标本 |
参考例句: |
- You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
- This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。
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42
pussy
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|
n.(儿语)小猫,猫咪 |
参考例句: |
- Why can't they leave my pussy alone?为什么他们就不能离我小猫咪远一点?
- The baby was playing with his pussy.孩子正和他的猫嬉戏。
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43
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 |
参考例句: |
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
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44
flickering
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|
adj.闪烁的,摇曳的,一闪一闪的 |
参考例句: |
- The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。
- The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。
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45
ordains
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v.任命(某人)为牧师( ordain的第三人称单数 );授予(某人)圣职;(上帝、法律等)命令;判定 |
参考例句: |
- The festival ordains the Jains to observe the ten universal supreme virtues in daily practical life. 盛典命令耆那教徒日常遵守十大美德。 来自互联网
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46
knack
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n.诀窍,做事情的灵巧的,便利的方法 |
参考例句: |
- He has a knack of teaching arithmetic.他教算术有诀窍。
- Making omelettes isn't difficult,but there's a knack to it.做煎蛋饼并不难,但有窍门。
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47
yearning
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|
a.渴望的;向往的;怀念的 |
参考例句: |
- a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往
- He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。
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48
nay
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|
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 |
参考例句: |
- He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的,不,应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
- Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章,不,应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。
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49
likeness
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|
n.相像,相似(之处) |
参考例句: |
- I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
- She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。
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50
clumps
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|
n.(树、灌木、植物等的)丛、簇( clump的名词复数 );(土、泥等)团;块;笨重的脚步声v.(树、灌木、植物等的)丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 );(土、泥等)团;块;笨重的脚步声 |
参考例句: |
- These plants quickly form dense clumps. 这些植物很快形成了浓密的树丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. 这些鳞茎死了,剩下的只是一丛丛的黃叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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51
sergeant
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|
n.警官,中士 |
参考例句: |
- His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
- How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹?
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52
regiment
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|
n.团,多数,管理;v.组织,编成团,统制 |
参考例句: |
- As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活,所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
- They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。
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53
hoard
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|
n./v.窖藏,贮存,囤积 |
参考例句: |
- They have a hoard of food in the basement.地下室里有他们贮藏的食物。
- How many curios do you hoard in your study?你在你书房里聚藏了多少古玩?
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54
virgin
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|
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 |
参考例句: |
- Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗?
- There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。
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55
saviour
|
|
n.拯救者,救星 |
参考例句: |
- I saw myself as the saviour of my country.我幻想自己为国家的救星。
- The people clearly saw her as their saviour.人们显然把她看成了救星。
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56
invalid
|
|
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 |
参考例句: |
- He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
- A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
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57
juggler
|
|
n. 变戏法者, 行骗者 |
参考例句: |
- Dick was a juggler, who threw mists before your eyes. 迪克是个骗子,他在你面前故弄玄虚。
- The juggler juggled three bottles. 这个玩杂耍的人可同时抛接3个瓶子。
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58
conjuring
|
|
n.魔术 |
参考例句: |
- Paul's very good at conjuring. 保罗很会变戏法。
- The entertainer didn't fool us with his conjuring. 那个艺人变的戏法没有骗到我们。
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59
inquiry
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|
n.打听,询问,调查,查问 |
参考例句: |
- Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
- The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
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