In all the thoughts, words, and actions of Squire1 Headlong, there was a remarkable2 alacrity3 of progression, which almost annihilated4 the interval5 between conception and execution. He was utterly6 regardless of obstacles, and seemed to have expunged7 their very name from his vocabulary. His designs were never nipped in their infancy8 by the contemplation of those trivial difficulties which often turn awry9 the current of enterprise; and, though the rapidity of his movements was sometimes arrested by a more formidable barrier, either naturally existing in the pursuit he had undertaken, or created by his own impetuosity, he seldom failed to succeed either in knocking it down or cutting his way through it. He had little idea of gradation: he saw no interval between the first step and the last, but pounced10 upon his object with the impetus11 of a mountain cataract12. This rapidity of movement, indeed, subjected him to some disasters which cooler spirits would have escaped. He was an excellent sportsman, and almost always killed his game; but now and then he killed his dog.1 Rocks, streams, hedges, gates, and ditches, were objects of no account in his estimation; though a dislocated shoulder, several severe bruises13, and two or three narrow escapes for his neck, might have been expected to teach him a certain degree of caution in effecting his transitions. He was so singularly alert in climbing precipices14 and traversing torrents15, that, when he went out on a shooting party, he was very soon left to continue his sport alone, for he was sure to dash up or down some nearly perpendicular16 path, where no one else had either ability or inclination17 to follow. He had a pleasure boat on the lake, which he steered18 with amazing dexterity19; but as he always indulged himself in the utmost possible latitude20 of sail, he was occasionally upset by a sudden gust21, and was indebted to his skill in the art of swimming for the opportunity of tempering with a copious22 libation of wine the unnatural23 frigidity24 introduced into his stomach by the extraordinary intrusion of water, an element which he had religiously determined25 should never pass his lips, but of which, on these occasions, he was sometimes compelled to swallow no inconsiderable quantity. This circumstance alone, of the various disasters that befell him, occasioned him any permanent affliction, and he accordingly noted26 the day in his pocket-book as a dies nefastus, with this simple abstract, and brief chronicle of the calamity27: Mem. Swallowed two or three pints28 of water: without any notice whatever of the concomitant circumstances. These days, of which there were several, were set apart in Headlong Hall for the purpose of anniversary expiation29; and, as often as the day returned on which the squire had swallowed water, he not only made a point of swallowing a treble allowance of wine himself, but imposed a heavy mulct on every one of his servants who should be detected in a state of sobriety after sunset: but their conduct on these occasions was so uniformly exemplary, that no instance of the infliction30 of the penalty appears on record.
The squire and Mr Milestone31, as we have already said, had set out immediately after breakfast to examine the capabilities32 of the scenery. The object that most attracted Mr Milestone’s admiration33 was a ruined tower on a projecting point of rock, almost totally overgrown with ivy34. This ivy, Mr Milestone observed, required trimming and clearing in various parts: a little pointing and polishing was also necessary for the dilapidated walls: and the whole effect would be materially increased by a plantation35 of spruce fir, interspersed36 with cypress37 and juniper, the present rugged38 and broken ascent39 from the land side being first converted into a beautiful slope, which might be easily effected by blowing up a part of the rock with gunpowder40, laying on a quantity of fine mould, and covering the whole with an elegant stratum41 of turf.
Squire Headlong caught with avidity at this suggestion; and, as he had always a store of gunpowder in the house, for the accommodation of himself and his shooting visitors, and for the supply of a small battery of cannon42, which he kept for his private amusement, he insisted on commencing operations immediately. Accordingly, he bounded back to the house, and very speedily returned, accompanied by the little butler, and half a dozen servants and labourers, with pickaxes and gunpowder, a hanging stove and a poker43, together with a basket of cold meat and two or three bottles of Madeira: for the Squire thought, with many others, that a copious supply of provision is a very necessary ingredient in all rural amusements.
Mr Milestone superintended the proceedings44. The rock was excavated45, the powder introduced, the apertures46 strongly blockaded with fragments of stone: a long train was laid to a spot which Mr Milestone fixed47 on as sufficiently48 remote from the possibility of harm: the Squire seized the poker, and, after flourishing it in the air with a degree of dexterity which induced the rest of the party to leave him in solitary49 possession of an extensive circumference50, applied51 the end of it to the train; and the rapidly communicated ignition ran hissing53 along the surface of the soil.
At this critical moment, Mr Cranium and Mr Panscope appeared at the top of the tower, which, unseeing and unseen, they had ascended54 on the opposite side to that where the Squire and Mr Milestone were conducting their operations. Their sudden appearance a little dismayed the Squire, who, however, comforted himself with the reflection, that the tower was perfectly55 safe, or at least was intended to be so, and that his friends were in no probable danger but of a knock on the head from a flying fragment of stone.
The succession of these thoughts in the mind of the Squire was commensurate in rapidity to the progress of the ignition, which having reached its extremity56, the explosion took place, and the shattered rock was hurled57 into the air in the midst of fire and smoke.
Mr Milestone had properly calculated the force of the explosion; for the tower remained untouched: but the Squire, in his consolatory58 reflections, had omitted the consideration of the influence of sudden fear, which had so violent an effect on Mr Cranium, who was just commencing a speech concerning the very fine prospect59 from the top of the tower, that, cutting short the thread of his observations, he bounded, under the elastic60 influence of terror, several feet into the air. His ascent being unluckily a little out of the perpendicular, he descended61 with a proportionate curve from the apex62 of his projection63, and alighted not on the wall of the tower, but in an ivy-bush by its side, which, giving way beneath him, transferred him to a tuft of hazel at its base, which, after upholding him an instant, consigned64 him to the boughs65 of an ash that had rooted itself in a fissure66 about half way down the rock, which finally transmitted him to the waters below.
Squire Headlong anxiously watched the tower as the smoke which at first enveloped67 it rolled away; but when this shadowy curtain was withdrawn68, and Mr Panscope was discovered, solus, in a tragical69 attitude, his apprehensions70 became boundless71, and he concluded that the unlucky collision of a flying fragment of rock had indeed emancipated72 the spirit of the craniologist from its terrestrial bondage73.
Mr Escot had considerably74 outstripped75 his companions, and arrived at the scene of the disaster just as Mr Cranium, being utterly destitute76 of natatorial skill, was in imminent77 danger of final submersion. The deteriorationist, who had cultivated this valuable art with great success, immediately plunged78 in to his assistance, and brought him alive and in safety to a shelving part of the shore. Their landing was hailed with a view-holla from the delighted Squire, who, shaking them both heartily79 by the hand, and making ten thousand lame80 apologies to Mr Cranium, concluded by asking, in a pathetic tone, How much water he had swallowed? and without waiting for his answer, filled a large tumbler with Madeira, and insisted on his tossing it off, which was no sooner said than done. Mr Jenkison and Mr Foster now made their appearance. Mr Panscope descended the tower, which he vowed81 never again to approach within a quarter of a mile. The tumbler of Madeira was replenished82, and handed round to recruit the spirits of the party, which now began to move towards Headlong Hall, the Squire capering83 for joy in the van, and the little fat butler waddling84 in the rear.
The Squire took care that Mr Cranium should be seated next to him at dinner, and plied52 him so hard with Madeira to prevent him, as he said, from taking cold, that long before the ladies sent in their summons to coffee, every organ in his brain was in a complete state of revolution, and the Squire was under the necessity of ringing for three or four servants to carry him to bed, observing, with a smile of great satisfaction, that he was in a very excellent way for escaping any ill consequences that might have resulted from his accident.
The beautiful Cephalis, being thus freed from his surveillance, was enabled, during the course of the evening, to develop to his preserver the full extent of her gratitude85.
1 squire | |
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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2 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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3 alacrity | |
n.敏捷,轻快,乐意 | |
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4 annihilated | |
v.(彻底)消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 );使无效;废止;彻底击溃 | |
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5 interval | |
n.间隔,间距;幕间休息,中场休息 | |
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6 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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7 expunged | |
v.擦掉( expunge的过去式和过去分词 );除去;删去;消除 | |
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8 infancy | |
n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
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9 awry | |
adj.扭曲的,错的 | |
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10 pounced | |
v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 );猛扑;一眼看出;抓住机会(进行抨击) | |
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11 impetus | |
n.推动,促进,刺激;推动力 | |
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12 cataract | |
n.大瀑布,奔流,洪水,白内障 | |
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13 bruises | |
n.瘀伤,伤痕,擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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14 precipices | |
n.悬崖,峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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15 torrents | |
n.倾注;奔流( torrent的名词复数 );急流;爆发;连续不断 | |
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16 perpendicular | |
adj.垂直的,直立的;n.垂直线,垂直的位置 | |
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17 inclination | |
n.倾斜;点头;弯腰;斜坡;倾度;倾向;爱好 | |
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18 steered | |
v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 );操纵;控制;引导 | |
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19 dexterity | |
n.(手的)灵巧,灵活 | |
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20 latitude | |
n.纬度,行动或言论的自由(范围),(pl.)地区 | |
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21 gust | |
n.阵风,突然一阵(雨、烟等),(感情的)迸发 | |
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22 copious | |
adj.丰富的,大量的 | |
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23 unnatural | |
adj.不自然的;反常的 | |
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24 frigidity | |
n.寒冷;冷淡;索然无味;(尤指妇女的)性感缺失 | |
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25 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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26 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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27 calamity | |
n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件 | |
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28 pints | |
n.品脱( pint的名词复数 );一品脱啤酒 | |
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29 expiation | |
n.赎罪,补偿 | |
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30 infliction | |
n.(强加于人身的)痛苦,刑罚 | |
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31 milestone | |
n.里程碑;划时代的事件 | |
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32 capabilities | |
n.能力( capability的名词复数 );可能;容量;[复数]潜在能力 | |
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33 admiration | |
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
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34 ivy | |
n.常青藤,常春藤 | |
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35 plantation | |
n.种植园,大农场 | |
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36 interspersed | |
adj.[医]散开的;点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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37 cypress | |
n.柏树 | |
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38 rugged | |
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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39 ascent | |
n.(声望或地位)提高;上升,升高;登高 | |
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40 gunpowder | |
n.火药 | |
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41 stratum | |
n.地层,社会阶层 | |
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42 cannon | |
n.大炮,火炮;飞机上的机关炮 | |
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43 poker | |
n.扑克;vt.烙制 | |
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44 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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45 excavated | |
v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 );开凿;挖出;发掘 | |
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46 apertures | |
n.孔( aperture的名词复数 );隙缝;(照相机的)光圈;孔径 | |
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47 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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48 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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49 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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50 circumference | |
n.圆周,周长,圆周线 | |
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51 applied | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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52 plied | |
v.使用(工具)( ply的过去式和过去分词 );经常供应(食物、饮料);固定往来;经营生意 | |
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53 hissing | |
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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54 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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56 extremity | |
n.末端,尽头;尽力;终极;极度 | |
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57 hurled | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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58 consolatory | |
adj.慰问的,可藉慰的 | |
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59 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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60 elastic | |
n.橡皮圈,松紧带;adj.有弹性的;灵活的 | |
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61 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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62 apex | |
n.顶点,最高点 | |
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63 projection | |
n.发射,计划,突出部分 | |
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64 consigned | |
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的过去式和过去分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃 | |
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65 boughs | |
大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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66 fissure | |
n.裂缝;裂伤 | |
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67 enveloped | |
v.包围,笼罩,包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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68 withdrawn | |
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出 | |
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69 tragical | |
adj. 悲剧的, 悲剧性的 | |
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70 apprehensions | |
疑惧 | |
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71 boundless | |
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的 | |
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72 emancipated | |
adj.被解放的,不受约束的v.解放某人(尤指摆脱政治、法律或社会的束缚)( emancipate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73 bondage | |
n.奴役,束缚 | |
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74 considerably | |
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上 | |
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75 outstripped | |
v.做得比…更好,(在赛跑等中)超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76 destitute | |
adj.缺乏的;穷困的 | |
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77 imminent | |
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的 | |
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78 plunged | |
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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79 heartily | |
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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80 lame | |
adj.跛的,(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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81 vowed | |
起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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82 replenished | |
补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 ); 重新装满 | |
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83 capering | |
v.跳跃,雀跃( caper的现在分词 );蹦蹦跳跳 | |
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84 waddling | |
v.(像鸭子一样)摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 ) | |
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85 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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