For several days in succession fragments of a defeated army had passed through the town. They were mere1 disorganized bands, not disciplined forces. The men wore long, dirty beards and tattered2 uniforms; they advanced in listless fashion, without a flag, without a leader. All seemed exhausted3, worn out, incapable4 of thought or resolve, marching onward5 merely by force of habit, and dropping to the ground with fatigue6 the moment they halted. One saw, in particular, many enlisted7 men, peaceful citizens, men who lived quietly on their income, bending beneath the weight of their rifles; and little active volunteers, easily frightened but full of enthusiasm, as eager to attack as they were ready to take to flight; and amid these, a sprinkling of red-breeched soldiers, the pitiful remnant of a division cut down in a great battle; somber8 artillerymen, side by side with nondescript foot-soldiers; and, here and there, the gleaming helmet of a heavy-footed dragoon who had difficulty in keeping up with the quicker pace of the soldiers of the line. Legions of irregulars with high-sounding names “Avengers of Defeat,” “Citizens of the Tomb,” “Brethren in Death”—passed in their turn, looking like banditti. Their leaders, former drapers or grain merchants, or tallow or soap chandlers—warriors by force of circumstances, officers by reason of their mustachios or their money—covered with weapons, flannel9 and gold lace, spoke10 in an impressive manner, discussed plans of campaign, and behaved as though they alone bore the fortunes of dying France on their braggart11 shoulders; though, in truth, they frequently were afraid of their own men—scoundrels often brave beyond measure, but pillagers and debauchees.
The members of the National Guard, who for the past two months had been reconnoitering with the utmost caution in the neighboring woods, occasionally shooting their own sentinels, and making ready for fight whenever a rabbit rustled14 in the undergrowth, had now returned to their homes. Their arms, their uniforms, all the death-dealing paraphernalia15 with which they had terrified all the milestones16 along the highroad for eight miles round, had suddenly and marvellously disappeared.
The last of the French soldiers had just crossed the Seine on their way to Pont-Audemer, through Saint-Sever and Bourg-Achard, and in their rear the vanquished17 general, powerless to do aught with the forlorn remnants of his army, himself dismayed at the final overthrow18 of a nation accustomed to victory and disastrously19 beaten despite its legendary20 bravery, walked between two orderlies.
Then a profound calm, a shuddering21, silent dread22, settled on the city. Many a round-paunched citizen, emasculated by years devoted23 to business, anxiously awaited the conquerors24, trembling lest his roasting-jacks or kitchen knives should be looked upon as weapons.
Life seemed to have stopped short; the shops were shut, the streets deserted25. Now and then an inhabitant, awed26 by the silence, glided27 swiftly by in the shadow of the walls. The anguish28 of suspense29 made men even desire the arrival of the enemy.
In the afternoon of the day following the departure of the French troops, a number of uhlans, coming no one knew whence, passed rapidly through the town. A little later on, a black mass descended30 St. Catherine's Hill, while two other invading bodies appeared respectively on the Darnetal and the Boisguillaume roads. The advance guards of the three corps32 arrived at precisely33 the same moment at the Square of the Hotel de Ville, and the German army poured through all the adjacent streets, its battalions34 making the pavement ring with their firm, measured tread.
Orders shouted in an unknown, guttural tongue rose to the windows of the seemingly dead, deserted houses; while behind the fast-closed shutters35 eager eyes peered forth36 at the victors-masters now of the city, its fortunes, and its lives, by “right of war.” The inhabitants, in their darkened rooms, were possessed37 by that terror which follows in the wake of cataclysms38, of deadly upheavals39 of the earth, against which all human skill and strength are vain. For the same thing happens whenever the established order of things is upset, when security no longer exists, when all those rights usually protected by the law of man or of Nature are at the mercy of unreasoning, savage40 force. The earthquake crushing a whole nation under falling roofs; the flood let loose, and engulfing41 in its swirling42 depths the corpses43 of drowned peasants, along with dead oxen and beams torn from shattered houses; or the army, covered with glory, murdering those who defend themselves, making prisoners of the rest, pillaging44 in the name of the Sword, and giving thanks to God to the thunder of cannon—all these are appalling45 scourges47, which destroy all belief in eternal justice, all that confidence we have been taught to feel in the protection of Heaven and the reason of man.
Small detachments of soldiers knocked at each door, and then disappeared within the houses; for the vanquished saw they would have to be civil to their conquerors.
At the end of a short time, once the first terror had subsided48, calm was again restored. In many houses the Prussian officer ate at the same table with the family. He was often well-bred, and, out of politeness, expressed sympathy with France and repugnance49 at being compelled to take part in the war. This sentiment was received with gratitude50; besides, his protection might be needful some day or other. By the exercise of tact51 the number of men quartered in one's house might be reduced; and why should one provoke the hostility52 of a person on whom one's whole welfare depended? Such conduct would savor53 less of bravery than of fool-hardiness. And foolhardiness is no longer a failing of the citizens of Rouen as it was in the days when their city earned renown54 by its heroic defenses. Last of all-final argument based on the national politeness—the folk of Rouen said to one another that it was only right to be civil in one's own house, provided there was no public exhibition of familiarity with the foreigner. Out of doors, therefore, citizen and soldier did not know each other; but in the house both chatted freely, and each evening the German remained a little longer warming himself at the hospitable55 hearth56.
Even the town itself resumed by degrees its ordinary aspect. The French seldom walked abroad, but the streets swarmed57 with Prussian soldiers. Moreover, the officers of the Blue Hussars, who arrogantly58 dragged their instruments of death along the pavements, seemed to hold the simple townsmen in but little more contempt than did the French cavalry59 officers who had drunk at the same cafes the year before.
But there was something in the air, a something strange and subtle, an intolerable foreign atmosphere like a penetrating60 odor—the odor of invasion. It permeated61 dwellings62 and places of public resort, changed the taste of food, made one imagine one's self in far-distant lands, amid dangerous, barbaric tribes.
The conquerors exacted money, much money. The inhabitants paid what was asked; they were rich. But, the wealthier a Norman tradesman becomes, the more he suffers at having to part with anything that belongs to him, at having to see any portion of his substance pass into the hands of another.
Nevertheless, within six or seven miles of the town, along the course of the river as it flows onward to Croisset, Dieppedalle and Biessart, boat-men and fishermen often hauled to the surface of the water the body of a German, bloated in his uniform, killed by a blow from knife or club, his head crushed by a stone, or perchance pushed from some bridge into the stream below. The mud of the river-bed swallowed up these obscure acts of vengeance64—savage, yet legitimate65; these unrecorded deeds of bravery; these silent attacks fraught66 with greater danger than battles fought in broad day, and surrounded, moreover, with no halo of romance. For hatred67 of the foreigner ever arms a few intrepid68 souls, ready to die for an idea.
At last, as the invaders69, though subjecting the town to the strictest discipline, had not committed any of the deeds of horror with which they had been credited while on their triumphal march, the people grew bolder, and the necessities of business again animated70 the breasts of the local merchants. Some of these had important commercial interests at Havre —occupied at present by the French army—and wished to attempt to reach that port by overland route to Dieppe, taking the boat from there.
Through the influence of the German officers whose acquaintance they had made, they obtained a permit to leave town from the general in command.
A large four-horse coach having, therefore, been engaged for the journey, and ten passengers having given in their names to the proprietor71, they decided72 to start on a certain Tuesday morning before daybreak, to avoid attracting a crowd.
The ground had been frozen hard for some time-past, and about three o'clock on Monday afternoon—large black clouds from the north shed their burden of snow uninterruptedly all through that evening and night.
At half-past four in the morning the travellers met in the courtyard of the Hotel de Normandie, where they were to take their seats in the coach.
They were still half asleep, and shivering with cold under their wraps. They could see one another but indistinctly in the darkness, and the mountain of heavy winter wraps in which each was swathed made them look like a gathering74 of obese75 priests in their long cassocks. But two men recognized each other, a third accosted76 them, and the three began to talk. “I am bringing my wife,” said one. “So am I.” “And I, too.” The first speaker added: “We shall not return to Rouen, and if the Prussians approach Havre we will cross to England.” All three, it turned out, had made the same plans, being of similar disposition77 and temperament78.
Still the horses were not harnessed. A small lantern carried by a stable-boy emerged now and then from one dark doorway79 to disappear immediately in another. The stamping of horses' hoofs81, deadened by the dung and straw of the stable, was heard from time to time, and from inside the building issued a man's voice, talking to the animals and swearing at them. A faint tinkle82 of bells showed that the harness was being got ready; this tinkle soon developed into a continuous jingling83, louder or softer according to the movements of the horse, sometimes stopping altogether, then breaking out in a sudden peal84 accompanied by a pawing of the ground by an iron-shod hoof80.
The door suddenly closed. All noise ceased.
The frozen townsmen were silent; they remained motionless, stiff with cold.
A thick curtain of glistening85 white flakes86 fell ceaselessly to the ground; it obliterated87 all outlines, enveloped88 all objects in an icy mantle89 of foam90; nothing was to be heard throughout the length and breadth of the silent, winter-bound city save the vague, nameless rustle13 of falling snow—a sensation rather than a sound—the gentle mingling91 of light atoms which seemed to fill all space, to cover the whole world.
The man reappeared with his lantern, leading by a rope a melancholy-looking horse, evidently being led out against his inclination92. The hostler placed him beside the pole, fastened the traces, and spent some time in walking round him to make sure that the harness was all right; for he could use only one hand, the other being engaged in holding the lantern. As he was about to fetch the second horse he noticed the motionless group of travellers, already white with snow, and said to them: “Why don't you get inside the coach? You'd be under shelter, at least.”
This did not seem to have occurred to them, and they at once took his advice. The three men seated their wives at the far end of the coach, then got in themselves; lastly the other vague, snow-shrouded forms clambered to the remaining places without a word.
The floor was covered with straw, into which the feet sank. The ladies at the far end, having brought with them little copper93 foot-warmers heated by means of a kind of chemical fuel, proceeded to light these, and spent some time in expatiating94 in low tones on their advantages, saying over and over again things which they had all known for a long time.
At last, six horses instead of four having been harnessed to the diligence, on account of the heavy roads, a voice outside asked: “Is every one there?” To which a voice from the interior replied: “Yes,” and they set out.
The vehicle moved slowly, slowly, at a snail's pace; the wheels sank into the snow; the entire body of the coach creaked and groaned95; the horses slipped, puffed96, steamed, and the coachman's long whip cracked incessantly97, flying hither and thither98, coiling up, then flinging out its length like a slender serpent, as it lashed99 some rounded flank, which instantly grew tense as it strained in further effort.
But the day grew apace. Those light flakes which one traveller, a native of Rouen, had compared to a rain of cotton fell no longer. A murky100 light filtered through dark, heavy clouds, which made the country more dazzlingly white by contrast, a whiteness broken sometimes by a row of tall trees spangled with hoarfrost, or by a cottage roof hooded101 in snow.
Right at the back, in the best seats of all, Monsieur and Madame Loiseau, wholesale103 wine merchants of the Rue104 Grand-Pont, slumbered105 opposite each other. Formerly106 clerk to a merchant who had failed in business, Loiseau had bought his master's interest, and made a fortune for himself. He sold very bad wine at a very low price to the retail-dealers107 in the country, and had the reputation, among his friends and acquaintances, of being a shrewd rascal108 a true Norman, full of quips and wiles109. So well established was his character as a cheat that, in the mouths of the citizens of Rouen, the very name of Loiseau became a byword for sharp practice.
Above and beyond this, Loiseau was noted110 for his practical jokes of every description—his tricks, good or ill-natured; and no one could mention his name without adding at once: “He's an extraordinary man—Loiseau.” He was undersized and potbellied, had a florid face with grayish whiskers.
His wife-tall, strong, determined111, with a loud voice and decided manner —represented the spirit of order and arithmetic in the business house which Loiseau enlivened by his jovial112 activity.
Beside them, dignified113 in bearing, belonging to a superior caste, sat Monsieur Carre-Lamadon, a man of considerable importance, a king in the cotton trade, proprietor of three spinning-mills, officer of the Legion of Honor, and member of the General Council. During the whole time the Empire was in the ascendancy114 he remained the chief of the well-disposed Opposition115, merely in order to command a higher value for his devotion when he should rally to the cause which he meanwhile opposed with “courteous116 weapons,” to use his own expression.
Madame Carre-Lamadon, much younger than her husband, was the consolation117 of all the officers of good family quartered at Rouen. Pretty, slender, graceful118, she sat opposite her husband, curled up in her furs, and gazing mournfully at the sorry interior of the coach.
Her neighbors, the Comte and Comtesse Hubert de Breville, bore one of the noblest and most ancient names in Normandy. The count, a nobleman advanced in years and of aristocratic bearing, strove to enhance by every artifice119 of the toilet, his natural resemblance to King Henry IV, who, according to a legend of which the family were inordinately120 proud, had been the favored lover of a De Breville lady, and father of her child —the frail121 one's husband having, in recognition of this fact, been made a count and governor of a province.
A colleague of Monsieur Carre-Lamadon in the General Council, Count Hubert represented the Orleanist party in his department. The story of his marriage with the daughter of a small shipowner at Nantes had always remained more or less of a mystery. But as the countess had an air of unmistakable breeding, entertained faultlessly, and was even supposed to have been loved by a son of Louis-Philippe, the nobility vied with one another in doing her honor, and her drawing-room remained the most select in the whole countryside—the only one which retained the old spirit of gallantry, and to which access was not easy.
The fortune of the Brevilles, all in real estate, amounted, it was said, to five hundred thousand francs a year.
These six people occupied the farther end of the coach, and represented Society—with an income—the strong, established society of good people with religion and principle.
It happened by chance that all the women were seated on the same side; and the countess had, moreover, as neighbors two nuns122, who spent the time in fingering their long rosaries and murmuring paternosters and aves. One of them was old, and so deeply pitted with smallpox126 that she looked for all the world as if she had received a charge of shot full in the face. The other, of sickly appearance, had a pretty but wasted countenance127, and a narrow, consumptive chest, sapped by that devouring129 faith which is the making of martyrs130 and visionaries.
A man and woman, sitting opposite the two nuns, attracted all eyes.
The man—a well-known character—was Cornudet, the democrat131, the terror of all respectable people. For the past twenty years his big red beard had been on terms of intimate acquaintance with the tankards of all the republican cafes. With the help of his comrades and brethren he had dissipated a respectable fortune left him by his father, an old-established confectioner, and he now impatiently awaited the Republic, that he might at last be rewarded with the post he had earned by his revolutionary orgies. On the fourth of September—possibly as the result of a practical joke—he was led to believe that he had been appointed prefect; but when he attempted to take up the duties of the position the clerks in charge of the office refused to recognize his authority, and he was compelled in consequence to retire. A good sort of fellow in other respects, inoffensive and obliging, he had thrown himself zealously134 into the work of making an organized defence of the town. He had had pits dug in the level country, young forest trees felled, and traps set on all the roads; then at the approach of the enemy, thoroughly135 satisfied with his preparations, he had hastily returned to the town. He thought he might now do more good at Havre, where new intrenchments would soon be necessary.
The woman, who belonged to the courtesan class, was celebrated136 for an embonpoint unusual for her age, which had earned for her the sobriquet138 of “Boule de Suif” (Tallow Ball). Short and round, fat as a pig, with puffy fingers constricted139 at the joints140, looking like rows of short sausages; with a shiny, tightly-stretched skin and an enormous bust141 filling out the bodice of her dress, she was yet attractive and much sought after, owing to her fresh and pleasing appearance. Her face was like a crimson142 apple, a peony-bud just bursting into bloom; she had two magnificent dark eyes, fringed with thick, heavy lashes144, which cast a shadow into their depths; her mouth was small, ripe, kissable, and was furnished with the tiniest of white teeth.
As soon as she was recognized the respectable matrons of the party began to whisper among themselves, and the words “hussy” and “public scandal” were uttered so loudly that Boule de Suif raised her head. She forthwith cast such a challenging, bold look at her neighbors that a sudden silence fell on the company, and all lowered their eyes, with the exception of Loiseau, who watched her with evident interest.
But conversation was soon resumed among the three ladies, whom the presence of this girl had suddenly drawn145 together in the bonds of friendship—one might almost say in those of intimacy146. They decided that they ought to combine, as it were, in their dignity as wives in face of this shameless hussy; for legitimized love always despises its easygoing brother.
The three men, also, brought together by a certain conservative instinct awakened147 by the presence of Cornudet, spoke of money matters in a tone expressive148 of contempt for the poor. Count Hubert related the losses he had sustained at the hands of the Prussians, spoke of the cattle which had been stolen from him, the crops which had been ruined, with the easy manner of a nobleman who was also a tenfold millionaire, and whom such reverses would scarcely inconvenience for a single year. Monsieur Carre-Lamadon, a man of wide experience in the cotton industry, had taken care to send six hundred thousand francs to England as provision against the rainy day he was always anticipating. As for Loiseau, he had managed to sell to the French commissariat department all the wines he had in stock, so that the state now owed him a considerable sum, which he hoped to receive at Havre.
And all three eyed one another in friendly, well-disposed fashion. Although of varying social status, they were united in the brotherhood149 of money—in that vast freemasonry made up of those who possess, who can jingle150 gold wherever they choose to put their hands into their breeches' pockets.
The coach went along so slowly that at ten o'clock in the morning it had not covered twelve miles. Three times the men of the party got out and climbed the hills on foot. The passengers were becoming uneasy, for they had counted on lunching at Totes, and it seemed now as if they would hardly arrive there before nightfall. Every one was eagerly looking out for an inn by the roadside, when, suddenly, the coach foundered151 in a snowdrift, and it took two hours to extricate152 it.
As appetites increased, their spirits fell; no inn, no wine shop could be discovered, the approach of the Prussians and the transit153 of the starving French troops having frightened away all business.
The men sought food in the farmhouses154 beside the road, but could not find so much as a crust of bread; for the suspicious peasant invariably hid his stores for fear of being pillaged155 by the soldiers, who, being entirely156 without food, would take violent possession of everything they found.
About one o'clock Loiseau announced that he positively157 had a big hollow in his stomach. They had all been suffering in the same way for some time, and the increasing gnawings of hunger had put an end to all conversation.
Now and then some one yawned, another followed his example, and each in turn, according to his character, breeding and social position, yawned either quietly or noisily, placing his hand before the gaping158 void whence issued breath condensed into vapor159.
Several times Boule de Suif stooped, as if searching for something under her petticoats. She would hesitate a moment, look at her neighbors, and then quietly sit upright again. All faces were pale and drawn. Loiseau declared he would give a thousand francs for a knuckle160 of ham. His wife made an involuntary and quickly checked gesture of protest. It always hurt her to hear of money being squandered161, and she could not even understand jokes on such a subject.
“As a matter of fact, I don't feel well,” said the count. “Why did I not think of bringing provisions?” Each one reproached himself in similar fashion.
Cornudet, however, had a bottle of rum, which he offered to his neighbors. They all coldly refused except Loiseau, who took a sip132, and returned the bottle with thanks, saying: “That's good stuff; it warms one up, and cheats the appetite.” The alcohol put him in good humor, and he proposed they should do as the sailors did in the song: eat the fattest of the passengers. This indirect allusion162 to Boule de Suif shocked the respectable members of the party. No one replied; only Cornudet smiled. The two good sisters had ceased to mumble163 their rosary, and, with hands enfolded in their wide sleeves, sat motionless, their eyes steadfastly164 cast down, doubtless offering up as a sacrifice to Heaven the suffering it had sent them.
At last, at three o'clock, as they were in the midst of an apparently165 limitless plain, with not a single village in sight, Boule de Suif stooped quickly, and drew from underneath166 the seat a large basket covered with a white napkin.
From this she extracted first of all a small earthenware167 plate and a silver drinking cup, then an enormous dish containing two whole chickens cut into joints and imbedded in jelly. The basket was seen to contain other good things: pies, fruit, dainties of all sorts-provisions, in fine, for a three days' journey, rendering168 their owner independent of wayside inns. The necks of four bottles protruded169 from among the food. She took a chicken wing, and began to eat it daintily, together with one of those rolls called in Normandy “Regence.”
All looks were directed toward her. An odor of food filled the air, causing nostrils170 to dilate171, mouths to water, and jaws172 to contract painfully. The scorn of the ladies for this disreputable female grew positively ferocious173; they would have liked to kill her, or throw, her and her drinking cup, her basket, and her provisions, out of the coach into the snow of the road below.
“Well, well, this lady had more forethought than the rest of us. Some people think of everything.”
She looked up at him.
“Would you like some, sir? It is hard to go on fasting all day.”
He bowed.
“Upon my soul, I can't refuse; I cannot hold out another minute. All is fair in war time, is it not, madame?” And, casting a glance on those around, he added:
“At times like this it is very pleasant to meet with obliging people.”
He spread a newspaper over his knees to avoid soiling his trousers, and, with a pocketknife he always carried, helped himself to a chicken leg coated with jelly, which he thereupon proceeded to devour128.
Then Boule le Suif, in low, humble175 tones, invited the nuns to partake of her repast. They both accepted the offer unhesitatingly, and after a few stammered176 words of thanks began to eat quickly, without raising their eyes. Neither did Cornudet refuse his neighbor's offer, and, in combination with the nuns, a sort of table was formed by opening out the newspaper over the four pairs of knees.
Mouths kept opening and shutting, ferociously177 masticating178 and devouring the food. Loiseau, in his corner, was hard at work, and in low tones urged his wife to follow his example. She held out for a long time, but overstrained Nature gave way at last. Her husband, assuming his politest manner, asked their “charming companion” if he might be allowed to offer Madame Loiseau a small helping179.
When the first bottle of claret was opened some embarrassment181 was caused by the fact that there was only one drinking cup, but this was passed from one to another, after being wiped. Cornudet alone, doubtless in a spirit of gallantry, raised to his own lips that part of the rim143 which was still moist from those of his fair neighbor.
Then, surrounded by people who were eating, and well-nigh suffocated182 by the odor of food, the Comte and Comtesse de Breville and Monsieur and Madame Carre-Lamadon endured that hateful form of torture which has perpetuated183 the name of Tantalus. All at once the manufacturer's young wife heaved a sigh which made every one turn and look at her; she was white as the snow without; her eyes closed, her head fell forward; she had fainted. Her husband, beside himself, implored184 the help of his neighbors. No one seemed to know what to do until the elder of the two nuns, raising the patient's head, placed Boule de Suif's drinking cup to her lips, and made her swallow a few drops of wine. The pretty invalid185 moved, opened her eyes, smiled, and declared in a feeble voice that she was all right again. But, to prevent a recurrence186 of the catastrophe187, the nun123 made her drink a cupful of claret, adding: “It's just hunger —that's what is wrong with you.”
Then Boule de Suif, blushing and embarrassed, stammered, looking at the four passengers who were still fasting:
“'Mon Dieu', if I might offer these ladies and gentlemen——”
She stopped short, fearing a snub. But Loiseau continued:
“Hang it all, in such a case as this we are all brothers and sisters and ought to assist each other. Come, come, ladies, don't stand on ceremony, for goodness' sake! Do we even know whether we shall find a house in which to pass the night? At our present rate of going we sha'n't be at Totes till midday to-morrow.”
They hesitated, no one daring to be the first to accept. But the count settled the question. He turned toward the abashed188 girl, and in his most distinguished189 manner said:
“We accept gratefully, madame.”
As usual, it was only the first step that cost. This Rubicon once crossed, they set to work with a will. The basket was emptied. It still contained a pate125 de foie gras, a lark190 pie, a piece of smoked tongue, Crassane pears, Pont-Leveque gingerbread, fancy cakes, and a cup full of pickled gherkins and onions—Boule de Suif, like all women, being very fond of indigestible things.
They could not eat this girl's provisions without speaking to her. So they began to talk, stiffly at first; then, as she seemed by no means forward, with greater freedom. Mesdames de Breville and Carre-Lamadon, who were accomplished191 women of the world, were gracious and tactful. The countess especially displayed that amiable condescension192 characteristic of great ladies whom no contact with baser mortals can sully, and was absolutely charming. But the sturdy Madame Loiseau, who had the soul of a gendarme193, continued morose194, speaking little and eating much.
Conversation naturally turned on the war. Terrible stories were told about the Prussians, deeds of bravery were recounted of the French; and all these people who were fleeing themselves were ready to pay homage195 to the courage of their compatriots. Personal experiences soon followed, and Boule le Suif related with genuine emotion, and with that warmth of language not uncommon196 in women of her class and temperament, how it came about that she had left Rouen.
“I thought at first that I should be able to stay,” she said. “My house was well stocked with provisions, and it seemed better to put up with feeding a few soldiers than to banish197 myself goodness knows where. But when I saw these Prussians it was too much for me! My blood boiled with rage; I wept the whole day for very shame. Oh, if only I had been a man! I looked at them from my window—the fat swine, with their pointed133 helmets!—and my maid held my hands to keep me from throwing my furniture down on them. Then some of them were quartered on me; I flew at the throat of the first one who entered. They are just as easy to strangle as other men! And I'd have been the death of that one if I hadn't been dragged away from him by my hair. I had to hide after that. And as soon as I could get an opportunity I left the place, and here I am.”
She was warmly congratulated. She rose in the estimation of her companions, who had not been so brave; and Cornudet listened to her with the approving and benevolent198 smile of an apostle, the smile a priest might wear in listening to a devotee praising God; for long-bearded democrats199 of his type have a monopoly of patriotism200, just as priests have a monopoly of religion. He held forth in turn, with dogmatic self-assurance, in the style of the proclamations daily pasted on the walls of the town, winding201 up with a specimen202 of stump203 oratory204 in which he reviled205 “that besotted fool of a Louis-Napoleon.”
But Boule de Suif was indignant, for she was an ardent206 Bonapartist. She turned as red as a cherry, and stammered in her wrath207: “I'd just like to have seen you in his place—you and your sort! There would have been a nice mix-up. Oh, yes! It was you who betrayed that man. It would be impossible to live in France if we were governed by such rascals208 as you!”
Cornudet, unmoved by this tirade209, still smiled a superior, contemptuous smile; and one felt that high words were impending210, when the count interposed, and, not without difficulty, succeeded in calming the exasperated211 woman, saying that all sincere opinions ought to be respected. But the countess and the manufacturer's wife, imbued212 with the unreasoning hatred of the upper classes for the Republic, and instinct, moreover, with the affection felt by all women for the pomp and circumstance of despotic government, were drawn, in spite of themselves, toward this dignified young woman, whose opinions coincided so closely with their own.
The basket was empty. The ten people had finished its contents without difficulty amid general regret that it did not hold more. Conversation went on a little longer, though it flagged somewhat after the passengers had finished eating.
Night fell, the darkness grew deeper and deeper, and the cold made Boule de Suif shiver, in spite of her plumpness. So Madame de Breville offered her her foot-warmer, the fuel of which had been several times renewed since the morning, and she accepted the offer at once, for her feet were icy cold. Mesdames Carre-Lamadon and Loiseau gave theirs to the nuns.
The driver lighted his lanterns. They cast a bright gleam on a cloud of vapor which hovered213 over the sweating flanks of the horses, and on the roadside snow, which seemed to unroll as they went along in the changing light of the lamps.
All was now indistinguishable in the coach; but suddenly a movement occurred in the corner occupied by Boule de Suif and Cornudet; and Loiseau, peering into the gloom, fancied he saw the big, bearded democrat move hastily to one side, as if he had received a well-directed, though noiseless, blow in the dark.
Tiny lights glimmered214 ahead. It was Totes. The coach had been on the road eleven hours, which, with the three hours allotted215 the horses in four periods for feeding and breathing, made fourteen. It entered the town, and stopped before the Hotel du Commerce.
The coach door opened; a well-known noise made all the travellers start; it was the clanging of a scabbard, on the pavement; then a voice called out something in German.
Although the coach had come to a standstill, no one got out; it looked as if they were afraid of being murdered the moment they left their seats. Thereupon the driver appeared, holding in his hand one of his lanterns, which cast a sudden glow on the interior of the coach, lighting216 up the double row of startled faces, mouths agape, and eyes wide open in surprise and terror.
Beside the driver stood in the full light a German officer, a tall young man, fair and slender, tightly encased in his uniform like a woman in her corset, his flat shiny cap, tilted217 to one side of his head, making him look like an English hotel runner. His exaggerated mustache, long and straight and tapering218 to a point at either end in a single blond hair that could hardly be seen, seemed to weigh down the corners of his mouth and give a droop219 to his lips.
In Alsatian French he requested the travellers to alight, saying stiffly:
“Kindly get down, ladies and gentlemen.”
The two nuns were the first to obey, manifesting the docility220 of holy women accustomed to submission221 on every occasion. Next appeared the count and countess, followed by the manufacturer and his wife, after whom came Loiseau, pushing his larger and better half before him.
“Good-day, sir,” he said to the officer as he put his foot to the ground, acting73 on an impulse born of prudence222 rather than of politeness. The other, insolent223 like all in authority, merely stared without replying.
Boule de Suif and Cornudet, though near the door, were the last to alight, grave and dignified before the enemy. The stout224 girl tried to control herself and appear calm; the democrat stroked his long russet beard with a somewhat trembling hand. Both strove to maintain their dignity, knowing well that at such a time each individual is always looked upon as more or less typical of his nation; and, also, resenting the complaisant225 attitude of their companions, Boule de Suif tried to wear a bolder front than her neighbors, the virtuous226 women, while he, feeling that it was incumbent227 on him to set a good example, kept up the attitude of resistance which he had first assumed when he undertook to mine the high roads round Rouen.
They entered the spacious228 kitchen of the inn, and the German, having demanded the passports signed by the general in command, in which were mentioned the name, description and profession of each traveller, inspected them all minutely, comparing their appearance with the written particulars.
Then he said brusquely: “All right,” and turned on his heel.
They breathed freely, All were still hungry; so supper was ordered. Half an hour was required for its preparation, and while two servants were apparently engaged in getting it ready the travellers went to look at their rooms. These all opened off a long corridor, at the end of which was a glazed229 door with a number on it.
They were just about to take their seats at table when the innkeeper appeared in person. He was a former horse dealer—a large, asthmatic individual, always wheezing231, coughing, and clearing his throat. Follenvie was his patronymic.
He called:
“Mademoiselle Elisabeth Rousset?”
Boule de Suif started, and turned round.
“That is my name.”
“Mademoiselle, the Prussian officer wishes to speak to you immediately.”
“To me?”
“Yes; if you are Mademoiselle Elisabeth Rousset.”
She hesitated, reflected a moment, and then declared roundly:
“That may be; but I'm not going.”
They moved restlessly around her; every one wondered and speculated as to the cause of this order. The count approached:
“You are wrong, madame, for your refusal may bring trouble not only on yourself but also on all your companions. It never pays to resist those in authority. Your compliance232 with this request cannot possibly be fraught with any danger; it has probably been made because some formality or other was forgotten.”
All added their voices to that of the count; Boule de Suif was begged, urged, lectured, and at last convinced; every one was afraid of the complications which might result from headstrong action on her part. She said finally:
“I am doing it for your sakes, remember that!”
The countess took her hand.
“And we are grateful to you.”
She left the room. All waited for her return before commencing the meal. Each was distressed234 that he or she had not been sent for rather than this impulsive235, quick-tempered girl, and each mentally rehearsed platitudes236 in case of being summoned also.
But at the end of ten minutes she reappeared breathing hard, crimson with indignation.
“Oh! the scoundrel! the scoundrel!” she stammered.
All were anxious to know what had happened; but she declined to enlighten them, and when the count pressed the point, she silenced him with much dignity, saying:
“No; the matter has nothing to do with you, and I cannot speak of it.”
Then they took their places round a high soup tureen, from which issued an odor of cabbage. In spite of this coincidence, the supper was cheerful. The cider was good; the Loiseaus and the nuns drank it from motives238 of economy. The others ordered wine; Cornudet demanded beer. He had his own fashion of uncorking the bottle and making the beer foam, gazing at it as he inclined his glass and then raised it to a position between the lamp and his eye that he might judge of its color. When he drank, his great beard, which matched the color of his favorite beverage239, seemed to tremble with affection; his eyes positively squinted240 in the endeavor not to lose sight of the beloved glass, and he looked for all the world as if he were fulfilling the only function for which he was born. He seemed to have established in his mind an affinity241 between the two great passions of his life—pale ale and revolution—and assuredly he could not taste the one without dreaming of the other.
Monsieur and Madame Follenvie dined at the end of the table. The man, wheezing like a broken-down locomotive, was too short-winded to talk when he was eating. But the wife was not silent a moment; she told how the Prussians had impressed her on their arrival, what they did, what they said; execrating242 them in the first place because they cost her money, and in the second because she had two sons in the army. She addressed herself principally to the countess, flattered at the opportunity of talking to a lady of quality.
Then she lowered her voice, and began to broach243 delicate subjects. Her husband interrupted her from time to time, saying:
“You would do well to hold your tongue, Madame Follenvie.”
But she took no notice of him, and went on:
“Yes, madame, these Germans do nothing but eat potatoes and pork, and then pork and potatoes. And don't imagine for a moment that they are clean! No, indeed! And if only you saw them drilling for hours, indeed for days, together; they all collect in a field, then they do nothing but march backward and forward, and wheel this way and that. If only they would cultivate the land, or remain at home and work on their high roads! Really, madame, these soldiers are of no earthly use! Poor people have to feed and keep them, only in order that they may learn how to kill! True, I am only an old woman with no education, but when I see them wearing themselves out marching about from morning till night, I say to myself: When there are people who make discoveries that are of use to people, why should others take so much trouble to do harm? Really, now, isn't it a terrible thing to kill people, whether they are Prussians, or English, or Poles, or French? If we revenge ourselves on any one who injures us we do wrong, and are punished for it; but when our sons are shot down like partridges, that is all right, and decorations are given to the man who kills the most. No, indeed, I shall never be able to understand it.”
Cornudet raised his voice:
“War is a barbarous proceeding244 when we attack a peaceful neighbor, but it is a sacred duty when undertaken in defence of one's country.”
The old woman looked down:
“Yes; it's another matter when one acts in self-defence; but would it not be better to kill all the kings, seeing that they make war just to amuse themselves?”
“Bravo, citizens!” he said.
Monsieur Carre-Lamadon was reflecting profoundly. Although an ardent admirer of great generals, the peasant woman's sturdy common sense made him reflect on the wealth which might accrue246 to a country by the employment of so many idle hands now maintained at a great expense, of so much unproductive force, if they were employed in those great industrial enterprises which it will take centuries to complete.
But Loiseau, leaving his seat, went over to the innkeeper and began chatting in a low voice. The big man chuckled247, coughed, sputtered248; his enormous carcass shook with merriment at the pleasantries of the other; and he ended by buying six casks of claret from Loiseau to be delivered in spring, after the departure of the Prussians.
The moment supper was over every one went to bed, worn out with fatigue.
But Loiseau, who had been making his observations on the sly, sent his wife to bed, and amused himself by placing first his ear, and then his eye, to the bedroom keyhole, in order to discover what he called “the mysteries of the corridor.”
At the end of about an hour he heard a rustling249, peeped out quickly, and caught sight of Boule de Suif, looking more rotund than ever in a dressing-gown of blue cashmere trimmed with white lace. She held a candle in her hand, and directed her steps to the numbered door at the end of the corridor. But one of the side doors was partly opened, and when, at the end of a few minutes, she returned, Cornudet, in his shirt-sleeves, followed her. They spoke in low tones, then stopped short. Boule de Suif seemed to be stoutly250 denying him admission to her room. Unfortunately, Loiseau could not at first hear what they said; but toward the end of the conversation they raised their voices, and he caught a few words. Cornudet was loudly insistent251.
“How silly you are! What does it matter to you?” he said.
She seemed indignant, and replied:
“No, my good man, there are times when one does not do that sort of thing; besides, in this place it would be shameful252.”
Apparently he did not understand, and asked the reason. Then she lost her temper and her caution, and, raising her voice still higher, said:
“Why? Can't you understand why? When there are Prussians in the house! Perhaps even in the very next room!”
He was silent. The patriotic253 shame of this wanton, who would not suffer herself to be caressed254 in the neighborhood of the enemy, must have roused his dormant255 dignity, for after bestowing256 on her a simple kiss he crept softly back to his room. Loiseau, much edified257, capered258 round the bedroom before taking his place beside his slumbering259 spouse261.
Then silence reigned262 throughout the house. But soon there arose from some remote part—it might easily have been either cellar or attic—a stertorous263, monotonous264, regular snoring, a dull, prolonged rumbling265, varied266 by tremors267 like those of a boiler268 under pressure of steam. Monsieur Follenvie had gone to sleep.
As they had decided on starting at eight o'clock the next morning, every one was in the kitchen at that hour; but the coach, its roof covered with snow, stood by itself in the middle of the yard, without either horses or driver. They sought the latter in the stables, coach-houses and barns —but in vain. So the men of the party resolved to scour46 the country for him, and sallied forth. They found themselves in the square, with the church at the farther side, and to right and left low-roofed houses where there were some Prussian soldiers. The first soldier they saw was peeling potatoes. The second, farther on, was washing out a barber's shop. Another, bearded to the eyes, was fondling a crying infant, and dandling it on his knees to quiet it; and the stout peasant women, whose men-folk were for the most part at the war, were, by means of signs, telling their obedient conquerors what work they were to do: chop wood, prepare soup, grind coffee; one of them even was doing the washing for his hostess, an infirm old grandmother.
The count, astonished at what he saw, questioned the beadle who was coming out of the presbytery. The old man answered:
“Oh, those men are not at all a bad sort; they are not Prussians, I am told; they come from somewhere farther off, I don't exactly know where. And they have all left wives and children behind them; they are not fond of war either, you may be sure! I am sure they are mourning for the men where they come from, just as we do here; and the war causes them just as much unhappiness as it does us. As a matter of fact, things are not so very bad here just now, because the soldiers do no harm, and work just as if they were in their own homes. You see, sir, poor folk always help one another; it is the great ones of this world who make war.”
Cornudet indignant at the friendly understanding established between conquerors and conquered, withdrew, preferring to shut himself up in the inn.
“They are repeopling the country,” jested Loiseau.
But they could not find the coach driver. At last he was discovered in the village cafe, fraternizing cordially with the officer's orderly.
“Were you not told to harness the horses at eight o'clock?” demanded the count.
“Oh, yes; but I've had different orders since.”
“What orders?”
“Not to harness at all.”
“Who gave you such orders?”
“Why, the Prussian officer.”
“But why?”
“I don't know. Go and ask him. I am forbidden to harness the horses, so I don't harness them—that's all.”
“Did he tell you so himself?”
“No, sir; the innkeeper gave me the order from him.”
“When?”
“Last evening, just as I was going to bed.”
The three men returned in a very uneasy frame of mind.
They asked for Monsieur Follenvie, but the servant replied that on account of his asthma230 he never got up before ten o'clock. They were strictly270 forbidden to rouse him earlier, except in case of fire.
They wished to see the officer, but that also was impossible, although he lodged271 in the inn. Monsieur Follenvie alone was authorized272 to interview him on civil matters. So they waited. The women returned to their rooms, and occupied themselves with trivial matters.
Cornudet settled down beside the tall kitchen fireplace, before a blazing fire. He had a small table and a jug273 of beer placed beside him, and he smoked his pipe—a pipe which enjoyed among democrats a consideration almost equal to his own, as though it had served its country in serving Cornudet. It was a fine meerschaum, admirably colored to a black the shade of its owner's teeth, but sweet-smelling, gracefully274 curved, at home in its master's hand, and completing his physiognomy. And Cornudet sat motionless, his eyes fixed now on the dancing flames, now on the froth which crowned his beer; and after each draught275 he passed his long, thin fingers with an air of satisfaction through his long, greasy276 hair, as he sucked the foam from his mustache.
Loiseau, under pretence277 of stretching his legs, went out to see if he could sell wine to the country dealers. The count and the manufacturer began to talk politics. They forecast the future of France. One believed in the Orleans dynasty, the other in an unknown savior—a hero who should rise up in the last extremity278: a Du Guesclin, perhaps a Joan of Arc? or another Napoleon the First? Ah! if only the Prince Imperial were not so young! Cornudet, listening to them, smiled like a man who holds the keys of destiny in his hands. His pipe perfumed the whole kitchen.
As the clock struck ten, Monsieur Follenvie appeared. He was immediately surrounded and questioned, but could only repeat, three or four times in succession, and without variation, the words:
“The officer said to me, just like this: 'Monsieur Follenvie, you will forbid them to harness up the coach for those travellers to-morrow. They are not to start without an order from me. You hear? That is sufficient.'”
Then they asked to see the officer. The count sent him his card, on which Monsieur Carre-Lamadon also inscribed279 his name and titles. The Prussian sent word that the two men would be admitted to see him after his luncheon280—that is to say, about one o'clock.
The ladies reappeared, and they all ate a little, in spite of their anxiety. Boule de Suif appeared ill and very much worried.
They were finishing their coffee when the orderly came to fetch the gentlemen.
Loiseau joined the other two; but when they tried to get Cornudet to accompany them, by way of adding greater solemnity to the occasion, he declared proudly that he would never have anything to do with the Germans, and, resuming his seat in the chimney corner, he called for another jug of beer.
The three men went upstairs, and were ushered281 into the best room in the inn, where the officer received them lolling at his ease in an armchair, his feet on the mantelpiece, smoking a long porcelain282 pipe, and enveloped in a gorgeous dressing-gown, doubtless stolen from the deserted dwelling63 of some citizen destitute283 of taste in dress. He neither rose, greeted them, nor even glanced in their direction. He afforded a fine example of that insolence284 of bearing which seems natural to the victorious285 soldier.
“What do you want?”
“We wish to start on our journey,” said the count.
“No.”
“May I ask the reason of your refusal?”
“Because I don't choose.”
“I would respectfully call your attention, monsieur, to the fact that your general in command gave us a permit to proceed to Dieppe; and I do not think we have done anything to deserve this harshness at your hands.”
“I don't choose—that's all. You may go.”
The afternoon was wretched. They could not understand the caprice of this German, and the strangest ideas came into their heads. They all congregated288 in the kitchen, and talked the subject to death, imagining all kinds of unlikely things. Perhaps they were to be kept as hostages —but for what reason? or to be extradited as prisoners of war? or possibly they were to be held for ransom289? They were panic-stricken at this last supposition. The richest among them were the most alarmed, seeing themselves forced to empty bags of gold into the insolent soldier's hands in order to buy back their lives. They racked their brains for plausible290 lies whereby they might conceal291 the fact that they were rich, and pass themselves off as poor—very poor. Loiseau took off his watch chain, and put it in his pocket. The approach of night increased their apprehension292. The lamp was lighted, and as it wanted yet two hours to dinner Madame Loiseau proposed a game of trente et un. It would distract their thoughts. The rest agreed, and Cornudet himself joined the party, first putting out his pipe for politeness' sake.
The count shuffled293 the cards—dealt—and Boule de Suif had thirty-one to start with; soon the interest of the game assuaged294 the anxiety of the players. But Cornudet noticed that Loiseau and his wife were in league to cheat.
They were about to sit down to dinner when Monsieur Follenvie appeared, and in his grating voice announced:
“The Prussian officer sends to ask Mademoiselle Elisabeth Rousset if she has changed her mind yet.”
Boule de Suif stood still, pale as death. Then, suddenly turning crimson with anger, she gasped295 out:
“Kindly tell that scoundrel, that cur, that carrion296 of a Prussian, that I will never consent—you understand?—never, never, never!”
The fat innkeeper left the room. Then Boule de Suif was surrounded, questioned, entreated297 on all sides to reveal the mystery of her visit to the officer. She refused at first; but her wrath soon got the better of her.
“What does he want? He wants to make me his mistress!” she cried.
No one was shocked at the word, so great was the general indignation. Cornudet broke his jug as he banged it down on the table. A loud outcry arose against this base soldier. All were furious. They drew together in common resistance against the foe299, as if some part of the sacrifice exacted of Boule de Suif had been demanded of each. The count declared, with supreme300 disgust, that those people behaved like ancient barbarians301. The women, above all, manifested a lively and tender sympathy for Boule de Suif. The nuns, who appeared only at meals, cast down their eyes, and said nothing.
They dined, however, as soon as the first indignant outburst had subsided; but they spoke little and thought much.
The ladies went to bed early; and the men, having lighted their pipes, proposed a game of ecarte, in which Monsieur Follenvie was invited to join, the travellers hoping to question him skillfully as to the best means of vanquishing302 the officer's obduracy303. But he thought of nothing but his cards, would listen to nothing, reply to nothing, and repeated, time after time: “Attend to the game, gentlemen! attend to the game!” So absorbed was his attention that he even forgot to expectorate. The consequence was that his chest gave forth rumbling sounds like those of an organ. His wheezing lungs struck every note of the asthmatic scale, from deep, hollow tones to a shrill304, hoarse305 piping resembling that of a young cock trying to crow.
He refused to go to bed when his wife, overcome with sleep, came to fetch him. So she went off alone, for she was an early bird, always up with the sun; while he was addicted306 to late hours, ever ready to spend the night with friends. He merely said: “Put my egg-nogg by the fire,” and went on with the game. When the other men saw that nothing was to be got out of him they declared it was time to retire, and each sought his bed.
They rose fairly early the next morning, with a vague hope of being allowed to start, a greater desire than ever to do so, and a terror at having to spend another day in this wretched little inn.
Alas307! the horses remained in the stable, the driver was invisible. They spent their time, for want of something better to do, in wandering round the coach.
Luncheon was a gloomy affair; and there was a general coolness toward Boule de Suif, for night, which brings counsel, had somewhat modified the judgment308 of her companions. In the cold light of the morning they almost bore a grudge309 against the girl for not having secretly sought out the Prussian, that the rest of the party might receive a joyful310 surprise when they awoke. What more simple?
Besides, who would have been the wiser? She might have saved appearances by telling the officer that she had taken pity on their distress233. Such a step would be of so little consequence to her.
But no one as yet confessed to such thoughts.
In the afternoon, seeing that they were all bored to death, the count proposed a walk in the neighborhood of the village. Each one wrapped himself up well, and the little party set out, leaving behind only Cornudet, who preferred to sit over the fire, and the two nuns, who were in the habit of spending their day in the church or at the presbytery.
The cold, which grew more intense each day, almost froze the noses and ears of the pedestrians311, their feet began to pain them so that each step was a penance312, and when they reached the open country it looked so mournful and depressing in its limitless mantle of white that they all hastily retraced313 their steps, with bodies benumbed and hearts heavy.
The four women walked in front, and the three men followed a little in their rear.
Loiseau, who saw perfectly314 well how matters stood, asked suddenly “if that trollop were going to keep them waiting much longer in this Godforsaken spot.” The count, always courteous, replied that they could not exact so painful a sacrifice from any woman, and that the first move must come from herself. Monsieur Carre-Lamadon remarked that if the French, as they talked of doing, made a counter attack by way of Dieppe, their encounter with the enemy must inevitably315 take place at Totes. This reflection made the other two anxious.
“Supposing we escape on foot?” said Loiseau.
“How can you think of such a thing, in this snow? And with our wives? Besides, we should be pursued at once, overtaken in ten minutes, and brought back as prisoners at the mercy of the soldiery.”
This was true enough; they were silent.
The ladies talked of dress, but a certain constraint317 seemed to prevail among them.
Suddenly, at the end of the street, the officer appeared. His tall, wasp-like, uniformed figure was outlined against the snow which bounded the horizon, and he walked, knees apart, with that motion peculiar318 to soldiers, who are always anxious not to soil their carefully polished boots.
He bowed as he passed the ladies, then glanced scornfully at the men, who had sufficient dignity not to raise their hats, though Loiseau made a movement to do so.
Boule de Suif flushed crimson to the ears, and the three married women felt unutterably humiliated319 at being met thus by the soldier in company with the girl whom he had treated with such scant320 ceremony.
Then they began to talk about him, his figure, and his face. Madame Carre-Lamadon, who had known many officers and judged them as a connoisseur321, thought him not at all bad-looking; she even regretted that he was not a Frenchman, because in that case he would have made a very handsome hussar, with whom all the women would assuredly have fallen in love.
When they were once more within doors they did not know what to do with themselves. Sharp words even were exchanged apropos322 of the merest trifles. The silent dinner was quickly over, and each one went to bed early in the hope of sleeping, and thus killing323 time.
They came down next morning with tired faces and irritable324 tempers; the women scarcely spoke to Boule de Suif.
A church bell summoned the faithful to a baptism. Boule de Suif had a child being brought up by peasants at Yvetot. She did not see him once a year, and never thought of him; but the idea of the child who was about to be baptized induced a sudden wave of tenderness for her own, and she insisted on being present at the ceremony.
As soon as she had gone out, the rest of the company looked at one another and then drew their chairs together; for they realized that they must decide on some course of action. Loiseau had an inspiration: he proposed that they should ask the officer to detain Boule de Suif only, and to let the rest depart on their way.
Monsieur Follenvie was intrusted with this commission, but he returned to them almost immediately. The German, who knew human nature, had shown him the door. He intended to keep all the travellers until his condition had been complied with.
Whereupon Madame Loiseau's vulgar temperament broke bounds.
“We're not going to die of old age here!” she cried. “Since it's that vixen's trade to behave so with men I don't see that she has any right to refuse one more than another. I may as well tell you she took any lovers she could get at Rouen—even coachmen! Yes, indeed, madame—the coachman at the prefecture! I know it for a fact, for he buys his wine of us. And now that it is a question of getting us out of a difficulty she puts on virtuous airs, the drab! For my part, I think this officer has behaved very well. Why, there were three others of us, any one of whom he would undoubtedly325 have preferred. But no, he contents himself with the girl who is common property. He respects married women. Just think. He is master here. He had only to say: 'I wish it!' and he might have taken us by force, with the help of his soldiers.”
The two other women shuddered326; the eyes of pretty Madame Carre-Lamadon glistened327, and she grew pale, as if the officer were indeed in the act of laying violent hands on her.
The men, who had been discussing the subject among themselves, drew near. Loiseau, in a state of furious resentment328, was for delivering up “that miserable329 woman,” bound hand and foot, into the enemy's power. But the count, descended from three generations of ambassadors, and endowed, moreover, with the lineaments of a diplomat330, was in favor of more tactful measures.
“We must persuade her,” he said.
Then they laid their plans.
The women drew together; they lowered their voices, and the discussion became general, each giving his or her opinion. But the conversation was not in the least coarse. The ladies, in particular, were adepts331 at delicate phrases and charming subtleties332 of expression to describe the most improper333 things. A stranger would have understood none of their allusions334, so guarded was the language they employed. But, seeing that the thin veneer335 of modesty336 with which every woman of the world is furnished goes but a very little way below the surface, they began rather to enjoy this unedifying episode, and at bottom were hugely delighted —feeling themselves in their element, furthering the schemes of lawless love with the gusto of a gourmand338 cook who prepares supper for another.
Their gaiety returned of itself, so amusing at last did the whole business seem to them. The count uttered several rather risky339 witticisms340, but so tactfully were they said that his audience could not help smiling. Loiseau in turn made some considerably341 broader jokes, but no one took offence; and the thought expressed with such brutal342 directness by his wife was uppermost in the minds of all: “Since it's the girl's trade, why should she refuse this man more than another?” Dainty Madame Carre-Lamadon seemed to think even that in Boule de Suif's place she would be less inclined to refuse him than another.
The blockade was as carefully arranged as if they were investing a fortress343. Each agreed on the role which he or she was to play, the arguments to be used, the maneuvers344 to be executed. They decided on the plan of campaign, the stratagems345 they were to employ, and the surprise attacks which were to reduce this human citadel346 and force it to receive the enemy within its walls.
But Cornudet remained apart from the rest, taking no share in the plot.
So absorbed was the attention of all that Boule de Suif's entrance was almost unnoticed. But the count whispered a gentle “Hush!” which made the others look up. She was there. They suddenly stopped talking, and a vague embarrassment prevented them for a few moments from addressing her. But the countess, more practiced than the others in the wiles of the drawing-room, asked her:
“Was the baptism interesting?”
The girl, still under the stress of emotion, told what she had seen and heard, described the faces, the attitudes of those present, and even the appearance of the church. She concluded with the words:
“It does one good to pray sometimes.”
Until lunch time the ladies contented347 themselves with being pleasant to her, so as to increase her confidence and make her amenable348 to their advice.
As soon as they took their seats at table the attack began. First they opened a vague conversation on the subject of self-sacrifice. Ancient examples were quoted: Judith and Holofernes; then, irrationally349 enough, Lucrece and Sextus; Cleopatra and the hostile generals whom she reduced to abject350 slavery by a surrender of her charms. Next was recounted an extraordinary story, born of the imagination of these ignorant millionaires, which told how the matrons of Rome seduced351 Hannibal, his lieutenants352, and all his mercenaries at Capua. They held up to admiration353 all those women who from time to time have arrested the victorious progress of conquerors, made of their bodies a field of battle, a means of ruling, a weapon; who have vanquished by their heroic caresses354 hideous355 or detested356 beings, and sacrificed their chastity to vengeance and devotion.
All was said with due restraint and regard for propriety357, the effect heightened now and then by an outburst of forced enthusiasm calculated to excite emulation358.
A listener would have thought at last that the one role of woman on earth was a perpetual sacrifice of her person, a continual abandonment of herself to the caprices of a hostile soldiery.
The two nuns seemed to hear nothing, and to be lost in thought. Boule de Suif also was silent.
During the whole afternoon she was left to her reflections. But instead of calling her “madame” as they had done hitherto, her companions addressed her simply as “mademoiselle,” without exactly knowing why, but as if desirous of making her descend31 a step in the esteem359 she had won, and forcing her to realize her degraded position.
Just as soup was served, Monsieur Follenvie reappeared, repeating his phrase of the evening before:
“The Prussian officer sends to ask if Mademoiselle Elisabeth Rousset has changed her mind.”
“No, monsieur.”
But at dinner the coalition361 weakened. Loiseau made three unfortunate remarks. Each was cudgeling his brains for further examples of self-sacrifice, and could find none, when the countess, possibly without ulterior motive237, and moved simply by a vague desire to do homage to religion, began to question the elder of the two nuns on the most striking facts in the lives of the saints. Now, it fell out that many of these had committed acts which would be crimes in our eyes, but the Church readily pardons such deeds when they are accomplished for the glory of God or the good of mankind. This was a powerful argument, and the countess made the most of it. Then, whether by reason of a tacit understanding, a thinly veiled act of complaisance362 such as those who wear the ecclesiastical habit excel in, or whether merely as the result of sheer stupidity—a stupidity admirably adapted to further their designs—the old nun rendered formidable aid to the conspirator363. They had thought her timid; she proved herself bold, talkative, bigoted364. She was not troubled by the ins and outs of casuistry; her doctrines365 were as iron bars; her faith knew no doubt; her conscience no scruples366. She looked on Abraham's sacrifice as natural enough, for she herself would not have hesitated to kill both father and mother if she had received a divine order to that effect; and nothing, in her opinion, could displease367 our Lord, provided the motive were praiseworthy. The countess, putting to good use the consecrated368 authority of her unexpected ally, led her on to make a lengthy369 and edifying337 paraphrase370 of that axiom enunciated371 by a certain school of moralists: “The end justifies372 the means.”
“Then, sister,” she asked, “you think God accepts all methods, and pardons the act when the motive is pure?”
“Undoubtedly, madame. An action reprehensible373 in itself often derives374 merit from the thought which inspires it.”
And in this wise they talked on, fathoming375 the wishes of God, predicting His judgments376, describing Him as interested in matters which assuredly concern Him but little.
All was said with the utmost care and discretion377, but every word uttered by the holy woman in her nun's garb378 weakened the indignant resistance of the courtesan. Then the conversation drifted somewhat, and the nun began to talk of the convents of her order, of her Superior, of herself, and of her fragile little neighbor, Sister St. Nicephore. They had been sent for from Havre to nurse the hundreds of soldiers who were in hospitals, stricken with smallpox. She described these wretched invalids379 and their malady380. And, while they themselves were detained on their way by the caprices of the Prussian officer, scores of Frenchmen might be dying, whom they would otherwise have saved! For the nursing of soldiers was the old nun's specialty381; she had been in the Crimea, in Italy, in Austria; and as she told the story of her campaigns she revealed herself as one of those holy sisters of the fife and drum who seem designed by nature to follow camps, to snatch the wounded from amid the strife382 of battle, and to quell383 with a word, more effectually than any general, the rough and insubordinate troopers—a masterful woman, her seamed and pitted face itself an image of the devastations of war.
No one spoke when she had finished for fear of spoiling the excellent effect of her words.
As soon as the meal was over the travellers retired to their rooms, whence they emerged the following day at a late hour of the morning.
Luncheon passed off quietly. The seed sown the preceding evening was being given time to germinate384 and bring forth fruit.
In the afternoon the countess proposed a walk; then the count, as had been arranged beforehand, took Boule de Suif's arm, and walked with her at some distance behind the rest.
He began talking to her in that familiar, paternal385, slightly contemptuous tone which men of his class adopt in speaking to women like her, calling her “my dear child,” and talking down to her from the height of his exalted386 social position and stainless387 reputation. He came straight to the point.
“So you prefer to leave us here, exposed like yourself to all the violence which would follow on a repulse388 of the Prussian troops, rather than consent to surrender yourself, as you have done so many times in your life?”
The girl did not reply.
He tried kindness, argument, sentiment. He still bore himself as count, even while adopting, when desirable, an attitude of gallantry, and making pretty—nay, even tender—speeches. He exalted the service she would render them, spoke of their gratitude; then, suddenly, using the familiar “thou”:
“And you know, my dear, he could boast then of having made a conquest of a pretty girl such as he won't often find in his own country.”
Boule de Suif did not answer, and joined the rest of the party.
As soon as they returned she went to her room, and was seen no more. The general anxiety was at its height. What would she do? If she still resisted, how awkward for them all!
The dinner hour struck; they waited for her in vain. At last Monsieur Follenvie entered, announcing that Mademoiselle Rousset was not well, and that they might sit down to table. They all pricked389 up their ears. The count drew near the innkeeper, and whispered:
“Is it all right?”
“Yes.”
Out of regard for propriety he said nothing to his companions, but merely nodded slightly toward them. A great sigh of relief went up from all breasts; every face was lighted up with joy.
“By Gad390!” shouted Loiseau, “I'll stand champagne391 all round if there's any to be found in this place.” And great was Madame Loiseau's dismay when the proprietor came back with four bottles in his hands. They had all suddenly become talkative and merry; a lively joy filled all hearts. The count seemed to perceive for the first time that Madame Carre-Lamadon was charming; the manufacturer paid compliments to the countess. The conversation was animated, sprightly392, witty393, and, although many of the jokes were in the worst possible taste, all the company were amused by them, and none offended—indignation being dependent, like other emotions, on surroundings. And the mental atmosphere had gradually become filled with gross imaginings and unclean thoughts.
At dessert even the women indulged in discreetly394 worded allusions. Their glances were full of meaning; they had drunk much. The count, who even in his moments of relaxation395 preserved a dignified demeanor396, hit on a much-appreciated comparison of the condition of things with the termination of a winter spent in the icy solitude397 of the North Pole and the joy of shipwrecked mariners398 who at last perceive a southward track opening out before their eyes.
Loiseau, fairly in his element, rose to his feet, holding aloft a glass of champagne.
“I drink to our deliverance!” he shouted.
All stood up, and greeted the toast with acclamation. Even the two good sisters yielded to the solicitations of the ladies, and consented to moisten their lips with the foaming399 wine, which they had never before tasted. They declared it was like effervescent lemonade, but with a pleasanter flavor.
“It is a pity,” said Loiseau, “that we have no piano; we might have had a quadrille.”
Cornudet had not spoken a word or made a movement; he seemed plunged400 in serious thought, and now and then tugged401 furiously at his great beard, as if trying to add still further to its length. At last, toward midnight, when they were about to separate, Loiseau, whose gait was far from steady, suddenly slapped him on the back, saying thickly:
“You're not jolly to-night; why are you so silent, old man?”
Cornudet threw back his head, cast one swift and scornful glance over the assemblage, and answered:
He rose, reached the door, and repeating: “Infamous!” disappeared.
A chill fell on all. Loiseau himself looked foolish and disconcerted for a moment, but soon recovered his aplomb403, and, writhing404 with laughter, exclaimed:
“Really, you are all too green for anything!”
Pressed for an explanation, he related the “mysteries of the corridor,” whereat his listeners were hugely amused. The ladies could hardly contain their delight. The count and Monsieur Carre-Lamadon laughed till they cried. They could scarcely believe their ears.
“What! you are sure? He wanted——”
“I tell you I saw it with my own eyes.”
“And she refused?”
“Because the Prussian was in the next room!”
“Surely you are mistaken?”
“I swear I'm telling you the truth.”
The count was choking with laughter. The manufacturer held his sides. Loiseau continued:
“So you may well imagine he doesn't think this evening's business at all amusing.”
And all three began to laugh again, choking, coughing, almost ill with merriment.
Then they separated. But Madame Loiseau, who was nothing if not spiteful, remarked to her husband as they were on the way to bed that “that stuck-up little minx of a Carre-Lamadon had laughed on the wrong side of her mouth all the evening.”
“You know,” she said, “when women run after uniforms it's all the same to them whether the men who wear them are French or Prussian. It's perfectly sickening!”
The next morning the snow showed dazzling white tinder a clear winter sun. The coach, ready at last, waited before the door; while a flock of white pigeons, with pink eyes spotted405 in the centres with black, puffed out their white feathers and walked sedately406 between the legs of the six horses, picking at the steaming manure407.
The driver, wrapped in his sheepskin coat, was smoking a pipe on the box, and all the passengers, radiant with delight at their approaching departure, were putting up provisions for the remainder of the journey.
They were waiting only for Boule de Suif. At last she appeared.
She seemed rather shamefaced and embarrassed, and advanced with timid step toward her companions, who with one accord turned aside as if they had not seen her. The count, with much dignity, took his wife by the arm, and removed her from the unclean contact.
The girl stood still, stupefied with astonishment408; then, plucking up courage, accosted the manufacturer's wife with a humble “Good-morning, madame,” to which the other replied merely with a slight and insolent nod, accompanied by a look of outraged409 virtue410. Every one suddenly appeared extremely busy, and kept as far from Boule de Suif as if her skirts had been infected with some deadly disease. Then they hurried to the coach, followed by the despised courtesan, who, arriving last of all, silently took the place she had occupied during the first part of the journey.
The rest seemed neither to see nor to know her—all save Madame Loiseau, who, glancing contemptuously in her direction, remarked, half aloud, to her husband:
“What a mercy I am not sitting beside that creature!”
At first no one spoke. Boule de Suif dared not even raise her eyes. She felt at once indignant with her neighbors, and humiliated at having yielded to the Prussian into whose arms they had so hypocritically cast her.
But the countess, turning toward Madame Carre-Lamadon, soon broke the painful silence:
“I think you know Madame d'Etrelles?”
“Yes; she is a friend of mine.”
“Such a charming woman!”
“Delightful! Exceptionally talented, and an artist to the finger tips. She sings marvellously and draws to perfection.”
The manufacturer was chatting with the count, and amid the clatter411 of the window-panes a word of their conversation was now and then distinguishable: “Shares—maturity—premium—time-limit.”
Loiseau, who had abstracted from the inn the timeworn pack of cards, thick with the grease of five years' contact with half-wiped-off tables, started a game of bezique with his wife.
The good sisters, taking up simultaneously412 the long rosaries hanging from their waists, made the sign of the cross, and began to mutter in unison413 interminable prayers, their lips moving ever more and more swiftly, as if they sought which should outdistance the other in the race of orisons; from time to time they kissed a medal, and crossed themselves anew, then resumed their rapid and unintelligible414 murmur124.
Cornudet sat still, lost in thought.
Ah the end of three hours Loiseau gathered up the cards, and remarked that he was hungry.
His wife thereupon produced a parcel tied with string, from which she extracted a piece of cold veal298. This she cut into neat, thin slices, and both began to eat.
“We may as well do the same,” said the countess. The rest agreed, and she unpacked415 the provisions which had been prepared for herself, the count, and the Carre-Lamadons. In one of those oval dishes, the lids of which are decorated with an earthenware hare, by way of showing that a game pie lies within, was a succulent delicacy416 consisting of the brown flesh of the game larded with streaks417 of bacon and flavored with other meats chopped fine. A solid wedge of Gruyere cheese, which had been wrapped in a newspaper, bore the imprint418: “Items of News,” on its rich, oily surface.
The two good sisters brought to light a hunk of sausage smelling strongly of garlic; and Cornudet, plunging419 both hands at once into the capacious pockets of his loose overcoat, produced from one four hard-boiled eggs and from the other a crust of bread. He removed the shells, threw them into the straw beneath his feet, and began to devour the eggs, letting morsels420 of the bright yellow yolk421 fall in his mighty422 beard, where they looked like stars.
Boule de Suif, in the haste and confusion of her departure, had not thought of anything, and, stifling423 with rage, she watched all these people placidly424 eating. At first, ill-suppressed wrath shook her whole person, and she opened her lips to shriek425 the truth at them, to overwhelm them with a volley of insults; but she could not utter a word, so choked was she with indignation.
No one looked at her, no one thought of her. She felt herself swallowed up in the scorn of these virtuous creatures, who had first sacrificed, then rejected her as a thing useless and unclean. Then she remembered her big basket full of the good things they had so greedily devoured426: the two chickens coated in jelly, the pies, the pears, the four bottles of claret; and her fury broke forth like a cord that is overstrained, and she was on the verge427 of tears. She made terrible efforts at self-control, drew herself up, swallowed the sobs428 which choked her; but the tears rose nevertheless, shone at the brink429 of her eyelids430, and soon two heavy drops coursed slowly down her cheeks. Others followed more quickly, like water filtering from a rock, and fell, one after another, on her rounded bosom431. She sat upright, with a fixed expression, her face pale and rigid432, hoping desperately433 that no one saw her give way.
But the countess noticed that she was weeping, and with a sign drew her husband's attention to the fact. He shrugged his shoulders, as if to say: “Well, what of it? It's not my fault.” Madame Loiseau chuckled triumphantly434, and murmured:
“She's weeping for shame.”
The two nuns had betaken themselves once more to their prayers, first wrapping the remainder of their sausage in paper:
Then Cornudet, who was digesting his eggs, stretched his long legs under the opposite seat, threw himself back, folded his arms, smiled like a man who had just thought of a good joke, and began to whistle the Marseillaise.
The faces of his neighbors clouded; the popular air evidently did not find favor with them; they grew nervous and irritable, and seemed ready to howl as a dog does at the sound of a barrel-organ. Cornudet saw the discomfort435 he was creating, and whistled the louder; sometimes he even hummed the words:
Amour sacre de la patrie,
Conduis, soutiens, nos bras vengeurs,
Liberte, liberte cherie,
Combats avec tes defenseurs!
The coach progressed more swiftly, the snow being harder now; and all the way to Dieppe, during the long, dreary436 hours of the journey, first in the gathering dusk, then in the thick darkness, raising his voice above the rumbling of the vehicle, Cornudet continued with fierce obstinacy437 his vengeful and monotonous whistling, forcing his weary and exasperated-hearers to follow the song from end to end, to recall every word of every line, as each was repeated over and over again with untiring persistency438.
And Boule de Suif still wept, and sometimes a sob137 she could not restrain was heard in the darkness between two verses of the song.
点击收听单词发音
1 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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2 tattered | |
adj.破旧的,衣衫破的 | |
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3 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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4 incapable | |
adj.无能力的,不能做某事的 | |
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5 onward | |
adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先 | |
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6 fatigue | |
n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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7 enlisted | |
adj.应募入伍的v.(使)入伍, (使)参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 );获得(帮助或支持) | |
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8 somber | |
adj.昏暗的,阴天的,阴森的,忧郁的 | |
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9 flannel | |
n.法兰绒;法兰绒衣服 | |
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10 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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11 braggart | |
n.吹牛者;adj.吹牛的,自夸的 | |
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12 rumor | |
n.谣言,谣传,传说 | |
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13 rustle | |
v.沙沙作响;偷盗(牛、马等);n.沙沙声声 | |
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14 rustled | |
v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15 paraphernalia | |
n.装备;随身用品 | |
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16 milestones | |
n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 );重要阶段;转折点;里程碑 | |
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17 vanquished | |
v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 );战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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18 overthrow | |
v.推翻,打倒,颠覆;n.推翻,瓦解,颠覆 | |
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19 disastrously | |
ad.灾难性地 | |
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20 legendary | |
adj.传奇(中)的,闻名遐迩的;n.传奇(文学) | |
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21 shuddering | |
v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
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22 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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23 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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24 conquerors | |
征服者,占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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25 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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26 awed | |
adj.充满敬畏的,表示敬畏的v.使敬畏,使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27 glided | |
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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28 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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29 suspense | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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30 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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31 descend | |
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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32 corps | |
n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组 | |
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33 precisely | |
adv.恰好,正好,精确地,细致地 | |
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34 battalions | |
n.(陆军的)一营(大约有一千兵士)( battalion的名词复数 );协同作战的部队;军队;(组织在一起工作的)队伍 | |
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35 shutters | |
百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 ); (照相机的)快门 | |
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36 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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37 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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38 cataclysms | |
n.(突然降临的)大灾难( cataclysm的名词复数 ) | |
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39 upheavals | |
突然的巨变( upheaval的名词复数 ); 大动荡; 大变动; 胀起 | |
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40 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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41 engulfing | |
adj.吞噬的v.吞没,包住( engulf的现在分词 ) | |
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42 swirling | |
v.旋转,打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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43 corpses | |
n.死尸,尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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44 pillaging | |
v.抢劫,掠夺( pillage的现在分词 ) | |
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45 appalling | |
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
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46 scour | |
v.搜索;擦,洗,腹泻,冲刷 | |
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47 scourges | |
带来灾难的人或东西,祸害( scourge的名词复数 ); 鞭子 | |
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48 subsided | |
v.(土地)下陷(因在地下采矿)( subside的过去式和过去分词 );减弱;下降至较低或正常水平;一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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49 repugnance | |
n.嫌恶 | |
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50 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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51 tact | |
n.机敏,圆滑,得体 | |
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52 hostility | |
n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争 | |
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53 savor | |
vt.品尝,欣赏;n.味道,风味;情趣,趣味 | |
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54 renown | |
n.声誉,名望 | |
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55 hospitable | |
adj.好客的;宽容的;有利的,适宜的 | |
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56 hearth | |
n.壁炉炉床,壁炉地面 | |
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57 swarmed | |
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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58 arrogantly | |
adv.傲慢地 | |
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59 cavalry | |
n.骑兵;轻装甲部队 | |
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60 penetrating | |
adj.(声音)响亮的,尖锐的adj.(气味)刺激的adj.(思想)敏锐的,有洞察力的 | |
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61 permeated | |
弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 ); 遍布; 渗入; 渗透 | |
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62 dwellings | |
n.住处,处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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63 dwelling | |
n.住宅,住所,寓所 | |
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64 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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65 legitimate | |
adj.合法的,合理的,合乎逻辑的;v.使合法 | |
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66 fraught | |
adj.充满…的,伴有(危险等)的;忧虑的 | |
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67 hatred | |
n.憎恶,憎恨,仇恨 | |
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68 intrepid | |
adj.无畏的,刚毅的 | |
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69 invaders | |
入侵者,侵略者,侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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70 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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71 proprietor | |
n.所有人;业主;经营者 | |
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72 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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73 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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74 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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75 obese | |
adj.过度肥胖的,肥大的 | |
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76 accosted | |
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 );跟…搭讪;(乞丐等)上前向…乞讨;(妓女等)勾搭 | |
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77 disposition | |
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
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78 temperament | |
n.气质,性格,性情 | |
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79 doorway | |
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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80 hoof | |
n.(马,牛等的)蹄 | |
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81 hoofs | |
n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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82 tinkle | |
vi.叮当作响;n.叮当声 | |
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83 jingling | |
叮当声 | |
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84 peal | |
n.钟声;v.鸣响 | |
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85 glistening | |
adj.闪耀的,反光的v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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86 flakes | |
小薄片( flake的名词复数 ); (尤指)碎片; 雪花; 古怪的人 | |
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87 obliterated | |
v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 );涂去;擦掉;彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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88 enveloped | |
v.包围,笼罩,包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89 mantle | |
n.斗篷,覆罩之物,罩子;v.罩住,覆盖,脸红 | |
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90 foam | |
v./n.泡沫,起泡沫 | |
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91 mingling | |
adj.混合的 | |
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92 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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93 copper | |
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 | |
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94 expatiating | |
v.详述,细说( expatiate的现在分词 ) | |
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95 groaned | |
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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96 puffed | |
adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 | |
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97 incessantly | |
ad.不停地 | |
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98 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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99 lashed | |
adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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100 murky | |
adj.黑暗的,朦胧的;adv.阴暗地,混浊地;n.阴暗;昏暗 | |
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101 hooded | |
adj.戴头巾的;有罩盖的;颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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102 curiously | |
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地 | |
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103 wholesale | |
n.批发;adv.以批发方式;vt.批发,成批出售 | |
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104 rue | |
n.懊悔,芸香,后悔;v.后悔,悲伤,懊悔 | |
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105 slumbered | |
微睡,睡眠(slumber的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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106 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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107 dealers | |
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者 | |
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108 rascal | |
n.流氓;不诚实的人 | |
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109 wiles | |
n.(旨在欺骗或吸引人的)诡计,花招;欺骗,欺诈( wile的名词复数 ) | |
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110 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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111 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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112 jovial | |
adj.快乐的,好交际的 | |
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113 dignified | |
a.可敬的,高贵的 | |
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114 ascendancy | |
n.统治权,支配力量 | |
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115 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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116 courteous | |
adj.彬彬有礼的,客气的 | |
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117 consolation | |
n.安慰,慰问 | |
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118 graceful | |
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
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119 artifice | |
n.妙计,高明的手段;狡诈,诡计 | |
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120 inordinately | |
adv.无度地,非常地 | |
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121 frail | |
adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的 | |
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122 nuns | |
n.(通常指基督教的)修女, (佛教的)尼姑( nun的名词复数 ) | |
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123 nun | |
n.修女,尼姑 | |
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124 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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125 pate | |
n.头顶;光顶 | |
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126 smallpox | |
n.天花 | |
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127 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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128 devour | |
v.吞没;贪婪地注视或谛听,贪读;使着迷 | |
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129 devouring | |
吞没( devour的现在分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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130 martyrs | |
n.martyr的复数形式;烈士( martyr的名词复数 );殉道者;殉教者;乞怜者(向人诉苦以博取同情) | |
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131 democrat | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员 | |
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132 sip | |
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量 | |
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133 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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134 zealously | |
adv.热心地;热情地;积极地;狂热地 | |
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135 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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136 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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137 sob | |
n.空间轨道的轰炸机;呜咽,哭泣 | |
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138 sobriquet | |
n.绰号 | |
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139 constricted | |
adj.抑制的,约束的 | |
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140 joints | |
接头( joint的名词复数 ); 关节; 公共场所(尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所) (非正式); 一块烤肉 (英式英语) | |
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141 bust | |
vt.打破;vi.爆裂;n.半身像;胸部 | |
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142 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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143 rim | |
n.(圆物的)边,轮缘;边界 | |
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144 lashes | |
n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 );鞭子;突然猛烈的一击;急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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145 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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146 intimacy | |
n.熟悉,亲密,密切关系,亲昵的言行 | |
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147 awakened | |
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到 | |
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148 expressive | |
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的 | |
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149 brotherhood | |
n.兄弟般的关系,手中情谊 | |
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150 jingle | |
n.叮当声,韵律简单的诗句;v.使叮当作响,叮当响,押韵 | |
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151 foundered | |
v.创始人( founder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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152 extricate | |
v.拯救,救出;解脱 | |
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153 transit | |
n.经过,运输;vt.穿越,旋转;vi.越过 | |
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154 farmhouses | |
n.农舍,农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 ) | |
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155 pillaged | |
v.抢劫,掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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156 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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157 positively | |
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实 | |
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158 gaping | |
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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159 vapor | |
n.蒸汽,雾气 | |
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160 knuckle | |
n.指节;vi.开始努力工作;屈服,认输 | |
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161 squandered | |
v.(指钱,财产等)浪费,乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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162 allusion | |
n.暗示,间接提示 | |
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163 mumble | |
n./v.喃喃而语,咕哝 | |
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164 steadfastly | |
adv.踏实地,不变地;岿然;坚定不渝 | |
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165 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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166 underneath | |
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面 | |
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167 earthenware | |
n.土器,陶器 | |
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168 rendering | |
n.表现,描写 | |
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169 protruded | |
v.(使某物)伸出,(使某物)突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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170 nostrils | |
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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171 dilate | |
vt.使膨胀,使扩大 | |
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172 jaws | |
n.口部;嘴 | |
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173 ferocious | |
adj.凶猛的,残暴的,极度的,十分强烈的 | |
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174 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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175 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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176 stammered | |
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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177 ferociously | |
野蛮地,残忍地 | |
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178 masticating | |
v.咀嚼( masticate的现在分词 );粉碎,磨烂 | |
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179 helping | |
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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180 amiable | |
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
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181 embarrassment | |
n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫 | |
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182 suffocated | |
(使某人)窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 ); (将某人)闷死; 让人感觉闷热; 憋气 | |
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183 perpetuated | |
vt.使永存(perpetuate的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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184 implored | |
恳求或乞求(某人)( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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185 invalid | |
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 | |
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186 recurrence | |
n.复发,反复,重现 | |
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187 catastrophe | |
n.大灾难,大祸 | |
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188 abashed | |
adj.窘迫的,尴尬的v.使羞愧,使局促,使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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189 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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190 lark | |
n.云雀,百灵鸟;n.嬉戏,玩笑;vi.嬉戏 | |
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191 accomplished | |
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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192 condescension | |
n.自以为高人一等,贬低(别人) | |
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193 gendarme | |
n.宪兵 | |
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194 morose | |
adj.脾气坏的,不高兴的 | |
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195 homage | |
n.尊敬,敬意,崇敬 | |
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196 uncommon | |
adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的 | |
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197 banish | |
vt.放逐,驱逐;消除,排除 | |
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198 benevolent | |
adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 | |
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199 democrats | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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200 patriotism | |
n.爱国精神,爱国心,爱国主义 | |
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201 winding | |
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 | |
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202 specimen | |
n.样本,标本 | |
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203 stump | |
n.残株,烟蒂,讲演台;v.砍断,蹒跚而走 | |
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204 oratory | |
n.演讲术;词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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205 reviled | |
v.辱骂,痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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206 ardent | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,强烈的,烈性的 | |
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207 wrath | |
n.愤怒,愤慨,暴怒 | |
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208 rascals | |
流氓( rascal的名词复数 ); 无赖; (开玩笑说法)淘气的人(尤指小孩); 恶作剧的人 | |
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209 tirade | |
n.冗长的攻击性演说 | |
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210 impending | |
a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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211 exasperated | |
adj.恼怒的 | |
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212 imbued | |
v.使(某人/某事)充满或激起(感情等)( imbue的过去式和过去分词 );使充满;灌输;激发(强烈感情或品质等) | |
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213 hovered | |
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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214 glimmered | |
v.发闪光,发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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215 allotted | |
分配,拨给,摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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216 lighting | |
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
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217 tilted | |
v. 倾斜的 | |
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218 tapering | |
adj.尖端细的 | |
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219 droop | |
v.低垂,下垂;凋萎,萎靡 | |
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220 docility | |
n.容易教,易驾驶,驯服 | |
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221 submission | |
n.服从,投降;温顺,谦虚;提出 | |
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222 prudence | |
n.谨慎,精明,节俭 | |
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223 insolent | |
adj.傲慢的,无理的 | |
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225 complaisant | |
adj.顺从的,讨好的 | |
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226 virtuous | |
adj.有品德的,善良的,贞洁的,有效力的 | |
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227 incumbent | |
adj.成为责任的,有义务的;现任的,在职的 | |
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228 spacious | |
adj.广阔的,宽敞的 | |
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229 glazed | |
adj.光滑的,像玻璃的;上过釉的;呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式);上釉于,上光;(目光)变得呆滞无神 | |
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230 asthma | |
n.气喘病,哮喘病 | |
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231 wheezing | |
v.喘息,发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 );哮鸣 | |
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232 compliance | |
n.顺从;服从;附和;屈从 | |
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233 distress | |
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 | |
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234 distressed | |
痛苦的 | |
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235 impulsive | |
adj.冲动的,刺激的;有推动力的 | |
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236 platitudes | |
n.平常的话,老生常谈,陈词滥调( platitude的名词复数 );滥套子 | |
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237 motive | |
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的 | |
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238 motives | |
n.动机,目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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239 beverage | |
n.(水,酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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240 squinted | |
斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 ); 眯着眼睛; 瞟; 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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241 affinity | |
n.亲和力,密切关系 | |
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242 execrating | |
v.憎恶( execrate的现在分词 );厌恶;诅咒;咒骂 | |
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243 broach | |
v.开瓶,提出(题目) | |
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244 proceeding | |
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 | |
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245 kindled | |
(使某物)燃烧,着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 ); 激起(感情等); 发亮,放光 | |
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246 accrue | |
v.(利息等)增大,增多 | |
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247 chuckled | |
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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248 sputtered | |
v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 );发劈啪声;喷出;飞溅出 | |
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249 rustling | |
n. 瑟瑟声,沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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250 stoutly | |
adv.牢固地,粗壮的 | |
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251 insistent | |
adj.迫切的,坚持的 | |
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252 shameful | |
adj.可耻的,不道德的 | |
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253 patriotic | |
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的 | |
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254 caressed | |
爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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255 dormant | |
adj.暂停活动的;休眠的;潜伏的 | |
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256 bestowing | |
砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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257 edified | |
v.开导,启发( edify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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258 capered | |
v.跳跃,雀跃( caper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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259 slumbering | |
微睡,睡眠(slumber的现在分词形式) | |
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260 lumbering | |
n.采伐林木 | |
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261 spouse | |
n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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262 reigned | |
vi.当政,统治(reign的过去式形式) | |
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263 stertorous | |
adj.打鼾的 | |
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264 monotonous | |
adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的 | |
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265 rumbling | |
n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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266 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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267 tremors | |
震颤( tremor的名词复数 ); 战栗; 震颤声; 大地的轻微震动 | |
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268 boiler | |
n.锅炉;煮器(壶,锅等) | |
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269 undoing | |
n.毁灭的原因,祸根;破坏,毁灭 | |
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270 strictly | |
adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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271 lodged | |
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属 | |
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272 authorized | |
a.委任的,许可的 | |
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273 jug | |
n.(有柄,小口,可盛水等的)大壶,罐,盂 | |
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274 gracefully | |
ad.大大方方地;优美地 | |
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275 draught | |
n.拉,牵引,拖;一网(饮,吸,阵);顿服药量,通风;v.起草,设计 | |
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276 greasy | |
adj. 多脂的,油脂的 | |
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277 pretence | |
n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰 | |
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278 extremity | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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279 inscribed | |
v.写,刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 );内接 | |
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280 luncheon | |
n.午宴,午餐,便宴 | |
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281 ushered | |
v.引,领,陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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282 porcelain | |
n.瓷;adj.瓷的,瓷制的 | |
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283 destitute | |
adj.缺乏的;穷困的 | |
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284 insolence | |
n.傲慢;无礼;厚颜;傲慢的态度 | |
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285 victorious | |
adj.胜利的,得胜的 | |
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286 lapse | |
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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287 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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288 congregated | |
(使)集合,聚集( congregate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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289 ransom | |
n.赎金,赎身;v.赎回,解救 | |
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290 plausible | |
adj.似真实的,似乎有理的,似乎可信的 | |
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291 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
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292 apprehension | |
n.理解,领悟;逮捕,拘捕;忧虑 | |
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293 shuffled | |
v.洗(纸牌)( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 );拖着脚步走;粗心地做;摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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294 assuaged | |
v.减轻( assuage的过去式和过去分词 );缓和;平息;使安静 | |
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295 gasped | |
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要 | |
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296 carrion | |
n.腐肉 | |
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297 entreated | |
恳求,乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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298 veal | |
n.小牛肉 | |
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299 foe | |
n.敌人,仇敌 | |
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300 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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301 barbarians | |
n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 );外国人;粗野的人;无教养的人 | |
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302 vanquishing | |
v.征服( vanquish的现在分词 );战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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303 obduracy | |
n.冷酷无情,顽固,执拗 | |
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304 shrill | |
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫 | |
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305 hoarse | |
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的 | |
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306 addicted | |
adj.沉溺于....的,对...上瘾的 | |
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307 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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308 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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309 grudge | |
n.不满,怨恨,妒嫉;vt.勉强给,不情愿做 | |
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310 joyful | |
adj.欢乐的,令人欢欣的 | |
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311 pedestrians | |
n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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312 penance | |
n.(赎罪的)惩罪 | |
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313 retraced | |
v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 );回忆;回顾;追溯 | |
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314 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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315 inevitably | |
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地 | |
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316 shrugged | |
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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317 constraint | |
n.(on)约束,限制;限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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318 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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319 humiliated | |
感到羞愧的 | |
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320 scant | |
adj.不充分的,不足的;v.减缩,限制,忽略 | |
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321 connoisseur | |
n.鉴赏家,行家,内行 | |
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322 apropos | |
adv.恰好地;adj.恰当的;关于 | |
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323 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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324 irritable | |
adj.急躁的;过敏的;易怒的 | |
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325 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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326 shuddered | |
v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
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327 glistened | |
v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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328 resentment | |
n.怨愤,忿恨 | |
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329 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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330 diplomat | |
n.外交官,外交家;能交际的人,圆滑的人 | |
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331 adepts | |
n.专家,能手( adept的名词复数 ) | |
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332 subtleties | |
细微( subtlety的名词复数 ); 精细; 巧妙; 细微的差别等 | |
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333 improper | |
adj.不适当的,不合适的,不正确的,不合礼仪的 | |
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334 allusions | |
暗指,间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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335 veneer | |
n.(墙上的)饰面,虚饰 | |
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336 modesty | |
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素 | |
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337 edifying | |
adj.有教训意味的,教训性的,有益的v.开导,启发( edify的现在分词 ) | |
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338 gourmand | |
n.嗜食者 | |
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339 risky | |
adj.有风险的,冒险的 | |
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340 witticisms | |
n.妙语,俏皮话( witticism的名词复数 ) | |
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341 considerably | |
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上 | |
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342 brutal | |
adj.残忍的,野蛮的,不讲理的 | |
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343 fortress | |
n.堡垒,防御工事 | |
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344 maneuvers | |
n.策略,谋略,花招( maneuver的名词复数 ) | |
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345 stratagems | |
n.诡计,计谋( stratagem的名词复数 );花招 | |
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346 citadel | |
n.城堡;堡垒;避难所 | |
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347 contented | |
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的 | |
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348 amenable | |
adj.经得起检验的;顺从的;对负有义务的 | |
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349 irrationally | |
ad.不理性地 | |
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350 abject | |
adj.极可怜的,卑屈的 | |
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351 seduced | |
诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 ); 勾引; 诱使堕落; 使入迷 | |
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352 lieutenants | |
n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 );副职官员;空军;仅低于…官阶的官员 | |
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353 admiration | |
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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354 caresses | |
爱抚,抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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355 hideous | |
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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356 detested | |
v.憎恶,嫌恶,痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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357 propriety | |
n.正当行为;正当;适当 | |
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358 emulation | |
n.竞争;仿效 | |
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359 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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360 briefly | |
adv.简单地,简短地 | |
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361 coalition | |
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合 | |
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362 complaisance | |
n.彬彬有礼,殷勤,柔顺 | |
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363 conspirator | |
n.阴谋者,谋叛者 | |
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364 bigoted | |
adj.固执己见的,心胸狭窄的 | |
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365 doctrines | |
n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 );教义;学说;(政府政策的)正式声明 | |
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366 scruples | |
n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 );顾虑,顾忌v.感到于心不安,有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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367 displease | |
vt.使不高兴,惹怒;n.不悦,不满,生气 | |
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368 consecrated | |
adj.神圣的,被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣,给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 );奉献 | |
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369 lengthy | |
adj.漫长的,冗长的 | |
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370 paraphrase | |
vt.将…释义,改写;n.释义,意义 | |
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371 enunciated | |
v.(清晰地)发音( enunciate的过去式和过去分词 );确切地说明 | |
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372 justifies | |
证明…有理( justify的第三人称单数 ); 为…辩护; 对…作出解释; 为…辩解(或辩护) | |
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373 reprehensible | |
adj.该受责备的 | |
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374 derives | |
v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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375 fathoming | |
测量 | |
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376 judgments | |
判断( judgment的名词复数 ); 鉴定; 评价; 审判 | |
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377 discretion | |
n.谨慎;随意处理 | |
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378 garb | |
n.服装,装束 | |
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379 invalids | |
病人,残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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380 malady | |
n.病,疾病(通常做比喻) | |
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381 specialty | |
n.(speciality)特性,特质;专业,专长 | |
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382 strife | |
n.争吵,冲突,倾轧,竞争 | |
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383 quell | |
v.压制,平息,减轻 | |
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384 germinate | |
v.发芽;发生;发展 | |
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385 paternal | |
adj.父亲的,像父亲的,父系的,父方的 | |
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386 exalted | |
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
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387 stainless | |
adj.无瑕疵的,不锈的 | |
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388 repulse | |
n.击退,拒绝;vt.逐退,击退,拒绝 | |
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389 pricked | |
刺,扎,戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 ); 刺伤; 刺痛; 使剧痛 | |
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390 gad | |
n.闲逛;v.闲逛 | |
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391 champagne | |
n.香槟酒;微黄色 | |
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392 sprightly | |
adj.愉快的,活泼的 | |
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393 witty | |
adj.机智的,风趣的 | |
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394 discreetly | |
ad.(言行)审慎地,慎重地 | |
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395 relaxation | |
n.松弛,放松;休息;消遣;娱乐 | |
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396 demeanor | |
n.行为;风度 | |
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397 solitude | |
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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398 mariners | |
海员,水手(mariner的复数形式) | |
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399 foaming | |
adj.布满泡沫的;发泡 | |
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400 plunged | |
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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401 tugged | |
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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402 infamous | |
adj.声名狼藉的,臭名昭著的,邪恶的 | |
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403 aplomb | |
n.沉着,镇静 | |
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404 writhing | |
(因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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405 spotted | |
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 | |
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406 sedately | |
adv.镇静地,安详地 | |
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407 manure | |
n.粪,肥,肥粒;vt.施肥 | |
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408 astonishment | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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409 outraged | |
a.震惊的,义愤填膺的 | |
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410 virtue | |
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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411 clatter | |
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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412 simultaneously | |
adv.同时发生地,同时进行地 | |
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413 unison | |
n.步调一致,行动一致 | |
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414 unintelligible | |
adj.无法了解的,难解的,莫明其妙的 | |
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415 unpacked | |
v.从(包裹等)中取出(所装的东西),打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 );拆包;解除…的负担;吐露(心事等) | |
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416 delicacy | |
n.精致,细微,微妙,精良;美味,佳肴 | |
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417 streaks | |
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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418 imprint | |
n.印痕,痕迹;深刻的印象;vt.压印,牢记 | |
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419 plunging | |
adj.跳进的,突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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420 morsels | |
n.一口( morsel的名词复数 );(尤指食物)小块,碎屑 | |
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421 yolk | |
n.蛋黄,卵黄 | |
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422 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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423 stifling | |
a.令人窒息的 | |
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424 placidly | |
adv.平稳地,平静地 | |
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425 shriek | |
v./n.尖叫,叫喊 | |
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426 devoured | |
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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427 verge | |
n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临 | |
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428 sobs | |
啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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429 brink | |
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿 | |
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430 eyelids | |
n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 );眼睛也不眨一下;不露声色;面不改色 | |
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431 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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432 rigid | |
adj.严格的,死板的;刚硬的,僵硬的 | |
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433 desperately | |
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地 | |
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434 triumphantly | |
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地 | |
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435 discomfort | |
n.不舒服,不安,难过,困难,不方便 | |
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436 dreary | |
adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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437 obstinacy | |
n.顽固;(病痛等)难治 | |
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438 persistency | |
n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数) | |
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